Monday, December 20, 2004

The Moslem Street Stirs

The American invasion of Iraq is said by war critics to have encouraged Islamism in the Moslem world. American support for freedom is assumed to paint local supporters of freedom as tools of America. Right. Like foreign opponents of our foreign policy who criticize us drive MoveOn.org members to reflexively support the administration.

Why would foreigners behave so differently from us? Why wouldn't democrats abroad appreciate American support for democracy?

Well they do seem to appreciate our support. They certainly aren't recoiling from freedom because we are for it (via Real Clear Politics):

This early enthusiasm could easily dissipate. Arab elites remain enormously resistant to reform and will try to scuttle plans for change. But I sense that the dinosaurs are on the defensive. For the first time other views are being aired. Consider the contrast between two conferences on reform held in the last 10 days. The first, the official Forum for the Future held in Morocco, ended with the foreign ministers of the region endorsing reform, but adding that it couldn't happen until the establishment of a Palestinian state. Some also insisted that Iraq be free of foreign troops. These are the usual, strange excuses for repression and oligarchy in the Arab world. "Until foreign-policy problems are solved," the governments seem to be saying, "we have no choice but to keep punishing our people."

But now there are Arab voices saying, "enough." At Dubai's Arab Strategy Forum a few days later, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Dubai's ruler, said pointedly in his opening address, "I cannot see why a crisis, no matter how severe, should delay economic reform or plans to eradicate illiteracy." "What is the relation," he asked, "between foreign affairs and corruption?"


Gosh, some people over there suffering under despotic rule aren't willing to wait for reform until the "Palestinian question" is solved? They don't think that the US fight in Iraq is counter-productive?

We are promoting freedom in the Moslem world and when the Arab and Moslem street rises up, it won't be to embrace Osama and his weenie legions of losers.