as the impact of the iraqi elections continue to reverberate around the middle east, here’s an interesting quote from lebanon:
[quote]The leader of this Lebanese intifada is Walid Jumblatt, the patriarch of the Druze Muslim community and, until recently, a man who accommodated Syria’s occupation. But something snapped for Jumblatt last year, when the Syrians overruled the Lebanese constitution and forced the reelection of their front man in Lebanon, President Emile Lahoud. The old slogans about Arab nationalism turned to ashes in Jumblatt’s mouth, and he and Hariri openly began to defy Damascus.
…
“It’s strange for me to say it, but this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq,” explains Jumblatt. “I was cynical about Iraq. But when I saw the Iraqi people voting three weeks ago, 8 million of them, it was the start of a new Arab world.” Jumblatt says this spark of democratic revolt is spreading. “The Syrian people, the Egyptian people, all say that something is changing. The Berlin Wall has fallen. We can see it.” [/quote]
Elections in Afghanistan
Elections in Iraq
Elections in Palestine
Partial elections in Saudi Arabia
Libya gies up its wmd programs
Sudan ends the civil war in the South
4 million refugees return to Afghanistan
A conference on democracy in Morocco
Protests in Egypt
Elections in three Gulf States
All in less than four years time. What happened before that? How many elections were there? How many refugees went back to various wartorn nations in the Middle East? Hmmm? All coincidence no doubt? Really?
There is a lot of interesting democratic movement in the Middle East all of a sudden and you can only credit the Bush Administration with having precipitated it by having shaken the old order up.
The follow through is just as important as the precipitation though. The Bush Administration will need to accept the will of the people of the Middle East whatever it is and not attempt to steer it from behind the scenes.
I hope and expect that will happen. It will be interesting.
There is a lot of interesting democratic movement in the Middle East all of a sudden and you can only credit the Bush Administration with having precipitated it by having shaken the old order up.
The follow through is just as important as the precipitation though. The Bush Administration will need to accept the will of the people of the Middle East whatever it is and not attempt to steer it from behind the scenes.
I hope and expect that will happen. It will be interesting.
That is a sensible remark Spook (for a change). haha I agree. I think however that we are letting things take their course in Afghanistan and Iraq. Do we have interests there? Yes, and we will lobby and try to effect change there just as we do in Taiwan, France and Russia and just as the Taiwanese, Russians, French and Iraqis lobby us in DC. That is the way of the world.
EVERYONE is bound by an ideology. Most don’t know it and most have such a limited understanding of world events that they blow in the wind with every headline. For those with a coherent ideology, knowing when to bend on those ideologies without giving up the vision one has is the true test and greatest challenge.
It is precisely because Bush refused to give into the naysayers and conventional wisdom that the momentous changes which have not occurred in the Middle East for 60 years are suddenly and dramatically occurring. Another 60 years could have gone by if someone as resolute and far sighted as Bush had not come along.
Things could be turning around for Bush in a major way, and if successful, this could be his great legacy, finally bringing democracy to the Middle East. The key will be to see if the elections in Lebanon in May are free, fair, and transparent, and whether the election reform in Egypt and the presidential elections are also free and fair. If that really happens in both of those places and the people see that it’s not just another sham, then the democracy movement could spread even further and faster. If Bush can finally broker a peace deal with Israel and the Palestinians, then he would have dealt a fatal blow to Muslim fundamentalist terrorism. Perhaps he’s not as stupid as so many people think … when democracy spreads around the Arab world, what will the protestors say then?
who could have guessed that the city of beirut would be associated with peaceful democratic change?[/quote]
Lebanon, general election and new constitution 1943.
1952, huge protest of 50,000 people against government corruption, no violence.
1958, bit of a crisis, American troops arrive to show support for government, crises averted, troops leave.
1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Seems to have all been quite peaceful and democratic until the 1967 conflict, and to all have gone downhill from there. But 30 years of peaceful elections is not to be sniffed at.
Apparently the Lebanon used to be a nice holiday destination, so hurry up and sort it out for us Mr Bush. Make a nice stopover on the way home - those fromer French colonies are usually quite nice.
oh, i don’t question lebanon’s history, but more than any other city in the world, the name “beirut” has come to mean war and lawlessness in the english language.
beirut has the best nightlife in the middle east, a nice mediterranean climate, wonderful food, and beautiful women. i could definitely see myself visiting there when things settle down.
I was there for a bit more than a week last year and I have nothing but praise for Lebanon and its people. A fantastic tourist destination. Baalbek and Byblos are worthy stops. While you can say that Beirut has the best night life in the Middle East, you are comparing it with a pretty low base. Still, not bad. The food and wine are both excellent as well. I guess the French are good for something. haha
I knew a Lebanese guy when I was in college. He had immigrated to the US and had a laundry Mat. Nice guy. He said that Lebanon was the most beautiful cuontry in the ME, green hills, pleasant people. I found that hard to believe at the time, (1990) but if the bloodless revolution that will hopefully come from last weekends’ protests does really change things, I also would like to visit.
[quote=“Flipper”]as the impact of the Iraqi elections continue to reverberate around the middle east, here’s an interesting quote from lebanon:
[quote]The leader of this Lebanese intifada is Walid Jumblatt, the patriarch of the Druze Muslim community and, until recently, a man who accommodated Syria’s occupation. But something snapped for Jumblatt last year, when the Syrians overruled the Lebanese constitution and forced the reelection of their front man in Lebanon, President Emile Lahoud. The old slogans about Arab nationalism turned to ashes in Jumblatt’s mouth, and he and Hariri openly began to defy Damascus.
…
“It’s strange for me to say it, but this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq,” explains Jumblatt. “I was cynical about Iraq. But when I saw the Iraqi people voting three weeks ago, 8 million of them, it was the start of a new Arab world.” Jumblatt says this spark of democratic revolt is spreading. “The Syrian people, the Egyptian people, all say that something is changing. The Berlin Wall has fallen. We can see it.” [/quote]
[quote] The crash of the space shuttle Columbia on 2 February 2003 and the second anniversary of the September 11 attacks provided additional occasions for the exposure of anti-American sentiments and for the resurfacing of conspiracy theories implicating the Jews… Druze Lebanese leader Walid Jumblatt admitted that the crash delighted him because one of the victims was an Israeli, adding that the true axis of evil ruling the world was one of
Another interesting article wonders if al-Jazeera, rather than Bush, deserves the credit for the recent baby-steps towards democracy in the Middle East:
Supposing that the CIA has had some involvement in stirring things up in Lebanon (although I’m sure the Mossad is as much or more involved than they are), which would be better, the US managing to pull off a democratic election where people can truly vote their will and get rid of a horrid dictatorial regime like Bashar Assad’s, or the continuationg of Syrian occupation and free reign for Hezbollah? Freedom and democracy are powerful things … all the CIA has to do is fan the flames, and the people themselves will stand up for their own freedom … just like in Georgia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Iraq (the latter two against all odds and despite the nay-sayer critics who said it was impossible). Let freedom ring!
so jumblatt was a vicious america-hater. but now even he credits the us with helping to change the dynamic in lebanon.
what’s more impressive, the wall street journal trumpeting that bush was right, or the independent suggesting that bush might be right?
who do you have left on your side in beirut, miken? the pro-democracy students are waving us flags. the hardline america-haters are admitting bush was right. i guess you still have the hezbollah pro-syria crowd who agrees with you about how horrible bush is.
