CSM column on democratization
Here's the column I have in the CSM today.
The lede is:
- Should Americans and their leaders be pushing for greater democratization in the Middle East even if this process risks bringing to power parties - including avowedly Islamist parties - that seem strongly opposed to US policies?
Yes. All people who claim they're committed to democracy have to be for the process even if - at home or abroad - it brings to power parties with which we disagree. That is the whole point of democratic practice, after all: to allow people with widely differing ideas to work together to resolve those differences through discussion and the ballot box, rather than through violence.
But what if some countries elect committed Islamists as leaders?...
Helena,
What is a "lede?" Please forgive my ignorance, but I've often read professional journalists who use that word. It's not in my Merriam-Webster, which is 20 years old.
It's, um, childish journo-speke for a "lead". I should really cure myself of this bad habit.
Concerning Turkey's religious party (the AK), I'd be far less optimist than you are. I'm a passionate reader of Le courrier international which offers a large review of the international press each week. The last issue had a Serie of reports on Turkey. All these reports went in the same directions, showing a clear slip of the AK toward a more authoritarian attitude. One report said that for years Turkey had been leaded by militaries acting as politicians, but that now after a few years of hope, the AK and Tayip Erdogan were acting like militarized politicians. To the writer's eyes, the last wasn't better than the firsts. Turkey journalists pretend that Turkey has adopted relatively open laws in order to comply to the conditions of the EU, but that they are merely words, not applied. They quoted recent incidents all pointing toward the same direction, not that of human rights and democracy, like teachers prevented to teach in their language (a long time conflict with the Kurds), the cancelling of an academic seminary on the theme of genocide (of about 30'000 Kurds and 1 Mio Armenian), women savagely beaten by the police while they demonstrated, the AK trying to reimpose the wearing of the veil for women, etc...
Concerning US bringing, supporting democracy in ME. Any American of good faith should stay away of these discourse and actions, because everything they do will be used by Bush and his clique, who don't have the interest of the ME in their mind, but instead just want to push their own agenda here. The only thing Americans of good faith can do is
1) Press for a US withdrawal of Iraq with financial compensations for the war damages and
2) Ask that the US government stops its unconditional support of Sharon in Israel and press for a realist and fair peace, a peace with two real states and the recognition of the rights of the Palestinians.
3) Demand that the US government stops supporting undemocratic governments like Saudi Arabia, etc..