A message from Kelso
Posted on 12/13/2005 9:26:54 PM PST by USMC Veteran
"Used with permission from OpinionJournal.com, a web site from Dow Jones & Company, Inc."
Iraqis will go to the polls tomorrow for the third time this year. Their actions mark both a triumph for the Iraqi people and a warning for Arab autocrats. Not only has the Iraqi march toward democracy proved naysayers wrong, but Iraqis' growing embrace of democracy demonstrates the wisdom of staying the course. Iraqis are changing political culture. Howard Dean and John Murtha may believe that the U.S. military has lost. Brent Scowcroft may think Arab democracy a pipe dream. They are mistaken.
The greatest impediment to progress in the Arab world is not terrorism or Islamism; both are recent phenomena. Rather, it is lack of accountability. Instead of accepting responsibility for lack of progress, many Arab regimes blame outsiders. In 2002, the U.N.'s Arab Development Report found that the Arab region has the lowest value of all regions of the world for "voice and accountability." In his seminal article "Why Arabs Lose Wars," Col. Norvell De Atkine, an observer of Arab military training, found that "taking responsibility . . . rarely occurs." Arab soldiers seldom admit, let alone learn from, mistakes. In recent discussions with U.S. diplomats and military officials, Iraqi insurgents and former regime elements say that order can be restored only with the empowerment of the former officer corps. They speak of the army's glories but, under Saddam Hussein, triumphs were limited to parades and posturing.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
The American Left does NOT want the rest of the Middle East to know this.
I remember when we used to be able to do that.
DNC--Message to the Arab World: Democracy Can't Work
Why Arabs Lose Wars:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/740513/posts
Brilliant!
Perfect summation to the article.
Democracy isn't perfect. But it's preferable to dictators and bombs. And, Empowering for a People that are willing to embrace it fully. A vote can overpower a militia. Think of the message that sends to a region accustomed to respect of force as the ultimate sign of power. The Iraqi's, and Afhani's, are turning that centuries old truism on its head by casting a free ballot. This is shaking the entire region to its core.
Ping- More proof that the President is right about Iraq and that we are winning big.
LOL!
Thanks for posting this. I saw this on Lucianne this a.m. and was going to post it.
Thanks for the ping!
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