16.6.05
Baheyya: America's "Arab Democracy"
15:48 | Posted by
liminal |
Edit Post
Baheyya ventures far in describing the situation and offering her feedback on America's "Arab Democracy" with flying-dagger style precision. Ahso... Incredible writing!!! (hat tip to Abu Aardvark for making me aware of this piece.)
A taster:
A taster:
This is a debate about what sort of “doctrine” American policy should adopt in its management of the Arab world. It is a debate in which Arabs are objects, problems, threats, inscrutable masses, sometimes self-appointed advisers and confidants, but never political agents with their own political projects and visions, projects that might include—horrors!—an end to American meddling in Arab affairs. Arabs are either dangerous terrorists, or intransigent ruling elites, or destabilising demagogues, or foaming-at-the-mouth nationalists, or power-hungry Islamists, or ambitious counter-elites, or submissive women, or wily women, or desperate immigrants, or hyperbolic alJazeera newscasters, or uppity intellectuals. Each requires a discrete and smart strategy of neutralisation, containment, or mobilisation, as the case may be. Arabs, it must be said, are still not allowed to have their own experiences, make their own choices, learn from their mistakes, and develop their own political institutions. Powerful foreign governments and their local subsidiaries are ever at the ready, making sure Arab citizens are bound in a straitjacket of tutelage.And I can't help it, but post another:
Real democracy means all political forces subject themselves to the unforgiving and decisive game of electoral politics. Real democracy means non-interference by the American government and its client Arab regimes, under whatever guise or guile. Real democracy means no one gets excluded or defined out of the political game, and real democracy is when the outcome of electoral contests is never preordained. Real democracy means the end of the tutelage of any one social force over the others, and the beginning of a genuine, undoctored, organised, and periodically repeated process of public choice-making that goes by the name of elections. Election rules are to be decided through public debate, not behind closed doors by ruling parties who then trumpet them as “incentives for competition.” Everyone must be put to the test of elections, no excuses, ifs, ands, buts, or maybes. And let the people be the judge.Yow'zaaaa! Every word of it is worth a close read, though.
Arab regimes have long made clear that they will stop at nothing to make sure this does not happen, and therefore they are the single biggest obstacles to democratic development. If the U.S. government can stand not to set any preconditions and instead accepts the fundamental uncertainty of Arab electoral processes, then it will gain maximum credibility and respect as a promoter of democracy, because it will have respected the choices of Arab electorates, no matter how unpalatable to the American government. But if it stipulates preconditions, intervenes to shore up its supporters and marginalise its challengers, and continues to engage in age-old realpolitik while claiming the mantle of democracy promotion, then its already dangerously depleted credibility will plunge to sub-zero depths, if it hasn’t already got there.
Blog Archive
-
▼
2005
(509)
-
▼
June
(46)
- The Big Lie
- More Subterfuge
- Iraqi Voices: It is our duty to listen to them.
- Extraordinary Statement: Bush admits he made Iraq...
- Saudi Interior Minister Bitchslaps Rice Over Jaile...
- Your signal failed, but I know you're contagious.
- Karl E. Meyer: Forty Years in the Sand
- The Semi-Eternal "Last Throes"
- Beirut Publishes, Egypt Writes, Baghdad Reads
- Meow
- Terrorists
- T.E. Lawrence: Letter to the Sunday Times, 2 Augus...
- Hobsbawm: These jive-ass quasi-revolutionaires pun...
- His last throe
- Martian Sunrise
- Martian Sunset
- US & UK Bombing Raids Were Illegal, UK documents say
- "We need to deprive these people of their ability ...
- Democratic Middle Eastern Union Votes to Invade U.S.
- BBC: Iraq rebuilding fails to deliver
- Why the British Press is So Much Better than its A...
- I got the latest Punk Planet in today and lookie w...
- Visions of Babylon Running Through My Head: Summer...
- Visions of Baghdad Running Through My Head: Summer...
- Water is good: If you have it. And if you can dr...
- Denial is your worst enemy.
- Iraqi justice minister, Abdel Hussein Shandal: US ...
- Saddam Loves Reagan
- Bolton blocked.
- Funkadelic (makes Rice pudding): If you don't lik...
- Tackling Another Major Challenge in Iraq: Unemploy...
- Turning the heat up; more memos from Downing Stree...
- You'll want to read this.
- Leaky, leaky, you're so sneaky: New US move to spo...
- What is a scopitone?
- Reality is in the details.
- Stop Torture
- The neocortex's microcircuitry
- Obligatory Downing Street Memo Post
- Baheyya: America's "Arab Democracy"
- Department of WTF
- Catapult the propaganda
- Titan
- Where did the Dearlove go?
- On the internets
- I'm in Cairo, at the foot of a star studded, snow ...
-
▼
June
(46)
Iraqi Culture
Sites
- Korea Life Blog
- Toothing
- Academic Secret
- African Food Blog
- Genius Duck
- Blogopoly
- Second String Swap
- Work at Home News
- Bashhh
- Just Another Opinion Blog
- Hairstyles and Nails
- Chiefly Musing Home Tips
- Health Talk and You
- Awryt
- Zacquisha
- Hairstyles and Nails
- Health Talk and You
- link
- Saints Car Club
- Moon Rider
- Super Pong
- Jeffrey Scott Band
- Fusion Recipes
- Oregon Lawyers
- Rent Empress
- Jake Gyllenhaal Fan Club
- Hurdler Page
- link
- Johnny Bravo Site
- link
- Survey Land
- Internet Data
- link
- Film Acting
- Golden Girls Quotes
- link
- Soda Traders
- The Chess Haven
- Integrity Library
- A&F Models
- Dancer's Domain
- Myanmar Institute of Technology
- link
- Pilgrim's Products
- Redhead Hair Site
- Olympics Page
0 comments:
Post a Comment