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Obama's win promotes democracy in the Arab world
Jerusalem Post ^ | 11-11-08 | DAOUD KUTTAB

Posted on 11/11/2008 5:24:14 AM PST by SJackson

A curious thing has happened as Americans were choosing their first black president. Democracy suddenly ceased to be a bad word for many genuine democrats in the Middle East.

In the aftermath of the war on Iraq and as part of President George W. Bush's attempts to win the hearts and minds of Arabs, a public democracy campaign was launched aimed at injecting Arabs with the democracy virus. Millions of dollars and years later, the effort had been pronounced a failure. Democracy salespeople had a problem selling their goods while the Bush administration was occupying Iraq, supporting the continued occupation and illegal settlements of the West Bank, while simultaneously placing a worldwide financial siege on an elected Palestinian government.

Arabs easily dismissed the democracy surge by simply pointing to what was being done by Americans, and in the name of Americans, in the region. Scenes and images from the Abu Ghraib prison to Guantanamo poured cold water on efforts to win over Arabs to democracy, US-style.

The arguments passed around in coffee shops and sitting rooms throughout the Arab world was that American democracy is in reality a facade: while elections do take place on the surface, a behind-the-scenes process led by a handful of people really decides who rules America.

This continued to be the leading anti-democracy argument - until this week.

THE ELECTION of Barack Obama, America's first black president and one with Islamic roots and a platform that calls for ending the war in Iraq and talking to Iran without conditions, shattered these arguments.

A new, more robust argument has been born with this election. Obama and his savvy campaign team won over millions of voters not only in America but around the world.

The campaign's emphasis on the youth (youths are the majority of the Arab population) and the Internet allowed so many young people in the Arab world to follow the entire process. One Palestinian Obama supporter from Gaza would wait until the electricity came on, connect to the Internet and, using the free on-line Skype account, call voters in Ohio or Pennsylvania trying to persuade them to vote for the senator.

The election of Obama shattered all previous stereotypes and succeeded in reinvigorating and reenergizing true democrats throughout the Arab world. However for many in the Arab and Islamic worlds the litmus test of any sane US foreign policy will be how it deals with the continuing Israeli occupation of Palestine and the arrogant violation of international law through the support of illegal Jewish settlement building in occupied territories and the construction of a wall deep inside Palestinian lands.

Obama seems to be serious about one promise regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict. He has said that he will not wait four or eight years to get involved but will pursue peace in the Middle East from day one. This became evident last week when one of his senior advisers - Princeton University Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs Prof. Daniel Kurtzer - made yet another visit to the region. Kurtzer, a former US ambassador to Egypt and Israel, met with senior Israeli and Palestinian leaders and will no doubt play a senior role in the Obama administration.

THE NEXT US president will have an easier role in trying to bring about peace in the Middle East. His philosophy of talking to one's enemies will certainly be an improvement on Bush's military unilateralism and political exclusionism. And although Obama has favored talking to Iran but not to Hamas, it is hard to see him blocking indirect talks with the Palestinian Islamic movement for ideological reasons. When Obama looks into the Palestine-Israeli conflict, he will not be ignorant of its history and the justness of its cause. His days in Chicago put him in touch with people like Prof. Rashid Khalidi, the late Edward Said and Palestinian activist Ali Abu Nimeh, just to name a few of the people who have met and influenced the former University of Chicago professor.

But perhaps the ace in Obama's pocket as he tackles this contentious conflict will be the official position of the US government over the years. Washington has repeatedly opposed Israeli occupation of Palestinian land since 1967 and has called for its end. It has been consistently and publicly against settlement activities, and President Bush has articulated a policy that calls for a viable, contiguous Palestinian state on the lands occupied in 1967.

The US has also opposed Israel's unilateral annexation of east Jerusalem and along with every nation on the planet has refused to recognize Israel's application of Israeli law to its residents.

Furthermore, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has stated publicly and repeatedly that a Palestinian state is in the national interest of the United States.

So if Obama wants to encourage Arab democrats and bring about peace in this volatile region, all he will have to do is to dust off US policy positions toward the region and make sure that all parties implement them immediately and without hesitation.

In addition to his stunning victory, this will provide Arab democrats with the ammunition needed not only to push for peace but also to bring about democratic reform in a region in bad need for an end to tyranny, radicalism and dictatorships.


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Israel; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: abuhussein; arab; iran; khalidi; obama; obamatransitionfile

1 posted on 11/11/2008 5:24:14 AM PST by SJackson
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To: SJackson
The arguments passed around in coffee shops and sitting rooms throughout the Arab world was that American democracy is in reality a facade: while elections do take place on the surface, a behind-the-scenes process led by a handful of people really decides who rules America.

The handful of people are ACORN.

2 posted on 11/11/2008 5:26:16 AM PST by mlocher (USA is a sovereign nation)
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To: SJackson

Well... That IS interesting.

I Never thought of that silver lining.

Too bad it will be short lived.


3 posted on 11/11/2008 5:26:55 AM PST by Safrguns
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To: SJackson

More like Thugocracy


4 posted on 11/11/2008 5:27:52 AM PST by Puppage (You may disagree with what I have to say, but I shall defend to your death my right to say it)
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To: SJackson

I don’t think they’re enthused about democracy in muslim countries; rather, they’re excited about America having elected a closet muslim.


5 posted on 11/11/2008 5:28:24 AM PST by ScottinVA (Gloucester County, VA -- Making a stand on 4 Nov 08 for America: 63% for McCain/Palin)
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To: dennisw; Cachelot; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; Lent; GregB; ..
If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. or WOT [War on Terror]

----------------------------

6 posted on 11/11/2008 5:29:49 AM PST by SJackson (http://www.jewish-history.com/emporium/)
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To: SJackson

I’m “skeptikal”. My name is “skeptekelitor”.

What a retard, if the folks we’re trying to help actually understood they have zero debt compared to the US, They will take stock, man up, and may even help us. but methinksnot.
I used to say poor america, now I say help me world.

The IraQis have a real chance of being both soverign and solvent, if thet dont take what we gave them, at the highest of highest of costs, I say bye


7 posted on 11/11/2008 5:44:20 AM PST by ChetNavVet (Build It, and they won't come!)
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To: SJackson

And in the Congo too. Peace broke out.


8 posted on 11/11/2008 5:46:10 AM PST by Carley (Vote McCain/Palin.....Change babies can live with.)
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To: SJackson

“Obama’s win promotes democracy in the Arab world”

Obama’s win promotes the Arab world in our Democracy.

There, I think this is what they meant.


9 posted on 11/11/2008 5:48:07 AM PST by Fireone (Homeland security is 100,000 rounds of dry ammo and 10 cords of dry firewood.)
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To: SJackson

My my... When Bush and those eeeevil “Neocons” propagated democracy in the Middle East and succesfully planted the seeds in Afghanistan and Iraq, the liberal-socialist world screamed abuse and “imperialism”. Middle Easterners, they said, are inherently incapable of Democracy... blablabla. Now with Obama all is going to be rainbow and jellydrops!?


10 posted on 11/11/2008 6:01:11 AM PST by SolidWood (Sarah Palin - Everything that is Sweetness and Light! WE STAND WITH HER!)
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To: SJackson
...American democracy is in reality a facade: while elections do take place on the surface, a behind-the-scenes process led by a handful of people really decides who rules America.

Aside from the fact that America is NOT a democracy, but rather a republic, I have to agree with them on this point. This election, most especially the primaries, proves the point beyond a shadow of a doubt.

11 posted on 11/11/2008 6:04:00 AM PST by Just A Nobody (I *LOVE* my Attitude Problem - NEVER AGAIN...Support our Troops! Beware the ENEMEDIA)
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To: SolidWood
Now with Obama all is going to be rainbow and jellydrops!?

Yes. Remove the "?" and you will receive an "A+" on today's quiz.

12 posted on 11/11/2008 6:07:00 AM PST by Just A Nobody (I *LOVE* my Attitude Problem - NEVER AGAIN...Support our Troops! Beware the ENEMEDIA)
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To: Carley

If we see a cascade of “world peace”,

we’ll certainly KNOW that this guy is the predecessor of the Anti-Christ’s ascendancy.


13 posted on 11/11/2008 6:09:08 AM PST by MrB (The 0bamanation: Marxism, Infanticide, Appeasement, Depression, and Thuggery)
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To: Puppage

Yes, they recognize o’s Thugocracy as like their own. And there is also, of course, his ‘Muslim background,’ which everyone in the world recognizes except the MSM.


14 posted on 11/11/2008 6:15:01 AM PST by bboop (Stealth Tutor)
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To: SJackson
"So if Obama wants to encourage Arab democrats and bring about peace in this volatile region, all he will have to do is to dust off US policy positions toward the region and make sure that all parties implement them immediately and without hesitation."

Sure wish the author put that at the beginning of his article instead of the end. Just so I realized this was good, old fashioned, tongue in cheek satire.

ps: Why do I doubt that Mr. Kuttab would NOT be in favor of "dusting off" the 2002 Bush policy of Preemption in regards to Iran?

15 posted on 11/11/2008 6:16:45 AM PST by justkate
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To: Just A Nobody
Well, actually we need to remember that Democracy has two meanings: a popular type of government--that is, featuring genuinely free elections by the people periodically while there is a difference in the types of popular governments: democracies and republics: the rule of the majority and the rule of representatives in 3 forms: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. The Islamic world suffers in that it has NO truly free government of the people (exceptions may be in the new Pakistan government and, to some extent Malaysia -- the latter due to it's high Chinese and Indian non-Muslim population). For these people any government that is not despotic is a wonder and when they see America, a predominantly European-origin nation, elect a mixed race man to it's highest office, they marvel.


The person on the street starts to wonder why they have absolute Sheikhs/Kings/Emirs or Presidents for life and wonder at the majesty of a country that can elect a minority (ok, part-minority) man as it's head of government --> that would never happen in their current world.
16 posted on 11/11/2008 6:27:18 AM PST by Cronos ("Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant" - Omar Ahmed, CAIR)
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To: SJackson
youths are the majority of the Arab population

Now there's a key takeaway from the article.

17 posted on 11/11/2008 11:53:26 AM PST by Uncledave
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