There is a long held belief in elite establishment circles that they are superior.. and therefore Arabs, and Africans are inferior. Here in the USA the Establishment Elites have always held the belief that Africans must have special help to succeed.
It matters not if the establishment elites believe that genetics or the environment have resulted in Africans being inferior. The result is the same .. They act and react as if Africans are and were inferior to them. They have institutionalized racism based on environment rather than genetics. A belief results in behavior. The behavior depends on the belief not the reasons the belief is held. Scowcroft is in my view a typical elite racist.
It is the elitist's belief that Blacks can sit on the stage but they can never be allowed to take the podium. .. At least not take the podium without lots of help and special guidance. The Establishment also thinks that Arabs are inferior. They believe Arabs can not handle freedom or self government. Arabs must live under a totalitarian regime. The establishment elite believe that given a choice, the Arabs will choose dictatorship. They believe that the Arab mases need the Muslim religion as an opiate to survive. It is their dependence on religion that demands that their lives be ruled by totalitarian leaders.
The elites believe that Europeans need to be weened from their religions. They would prefer banning European's Religious faith while allowing the inferiors to retain theirs. That is why the elites tolerate and promote most religions other than Christianity. They believe the inferiors need religion, the European addiction to religions must be made illegal.
Thus they can support religious choice for inferiors but not for European whites. The left can campaign in Black Churches but claim the religious beliefs of President Bush prove he is inferior.
Scowcroft may have served in Republican administrations but he is as racist as the most elite Democrat. Scowcroft is a John Kerry with a slightly higher I.Q.
Of all the replies to this thread yours is the best! Look deep into a mans heart and you will find his true motivations. I think your read on Scowcroft is right on the money!
Scowcroft exemplifies the classic "White Man's Burden" school of geopolitical theory.
What you say makes a great deal of sense. I don't have any specific knowledge of Scowcroft's detailed views, but in addition to his comfortable elitism, I do have the impression he is rather strongly aligned with the 'Arabist' tradition in the US Dept. of State which cozies up to all the Arab dictators thinking that we must try to make them like us because we need oil and stability in international financial markets. However, people like GW and Condi understand, especially after 9/11, that the status quo could no longer be accepted. I would like to see more government dominoes falling in the Arab world (not to mention Persian Iran!!), but we also need to take things in reasonable steps. Scowcroft would have left Saddam and his psychotic sons in power forever, but getting rid of them was a good first step toward trying to improve that region.