Posted on 11/18/2004 6:27:10 AM PST by OESY
...During the presidential campaign, Sen. John Kerry ridiculed the idea that the War on Terror could end in a definitive victory. The most that one could do, he argued, was to reduce terrorism to the level of a nuisance like prostitution, the Mafia and the illicit-drug trade.
Bush, however, is offering something with which to measure success or failure in this war: the spread of democracy. If, when Bush leaves office in four years, the region holds more democracies, he could claim some success. If not, he'd have to admit failure.
This, of course, is a high-risk strategy: Democracy has powerful and well-entrenched enemies in the region. The Bush plan is opposed both by the ruling elites (who fear losing their often illegitimate privileges and powers) and a variety of oppositionists who use anti-Americanism as the key element of their political message....
Today, the Islamists' fear of free elections is plain in both Iraq and the Palestinian territories....
Nevertheless, the overall picture is encouraging. Even the most reactionary elements, which once deemed elections "a Jewish-Christian trick" to divide Muslims, are now prepared....
More important: Elections of an acceptable nature, though certainly not fully free and fair, have become part of life in a number of countries, such as Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen, Jordan, Algeria and Morocco. Afghanistan's first free elections ever, held last month, has had a big impact on the entire region: If the Afghans did it, why not us?
Iraq and the Palestinian territories are set to hold elections in January. Success would be of crucial importance in advancing the democracy agenda.
Iraq is the first major country in the Arab heartland to hold free elections. A breakthrough there could send shock waves through the despotic regimes in neighboring Syria and Iran....
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I think this sounds too much like victory to interest the Democrats. Reagan won the cold war because he had the will to win. "Just win baby."
It's been increasingly clear to me over the past few years that liberals really don't believe any solutions are possible in the Middle East; their idea of diplomacy is to yak forever, pretend to do things, issue pronouncements, award each other Nobel Peace Prizes, but just let problems fester for generations. It sent shock waves through the corridors of power when Bush decide to actually try to make real change, now. It seemed so vulgar to the career diplomats who'd rather sip their martinis and talk a bit more.
..."...A statement issued by the self-styled Islamic Coalition of Iraq last Thursday put it plainly: "It is the sacred duty of all true believers to prevent the holding of any elections by using whatever means necessary."...
Muslims are forever enslaved by threats from within Islam.
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