The Democracy Crusade

Religious fulfillment through political foreign policy?

Not long ago, Condoleeza Rice stated that the U.S. foreign policy for the past 50 years has been a mistake and that the U.S. needs to break from its support of even complacent dictatorships and pursue the instilment of Democracy throughout the world.

This is a noble concept for most people; I mean who in America would argue that Democracy is not a grand thing that has brought a level of enlightenment to our society that much of the world only aspires to? It is this democratic model which works so well for us that is being used to justify much of America’s foreign policy today but is this from genuine want to improve the lives of other people in the world or justification of a modern crusade wrapped in a pill that most Americans can swallow?

Lately we have been subjected to constant repetition of “spreading democracy” much like we heard the term “weapons of mass destruction” during the lead up to the invasion of Iraq. This notion of spreading our democracy is reaching an almost rapturous pitch that often closer resembles a sermon from a Baptist Minister than the formulated policy of a powerful nation. One has to wonder, why the sudden shift in view of our foreign policy that has kept its general outline for five decades and was it the right thing to do?

In the past the United States has often supported non democratic societies and even tin pot dictators because the truth of the matter is that it is economically and strategically effective way to manage our interest abroad. When you are supporting a dictator or like government, the amount of people and funds needed to sway interest in that nation are quite manageable. However should you support a democracy in a nation where the general population views you with vile contempt, the cost and effort to maintain influence over that nation rises to huge proportions if you can manage to have any influence at all.

In the case of the Middle East, you might think it a grand idea to instill democracy; however the consequences of such actions are just now coming to light. Haamas has recently won a stunning victory in open and free democratic elections, yet the United States and Israel are reeling over the implications of this. What if all of Israel’s neighbors were to become democracies where the vast majority of the people are willing to strap a bomb on their bodies and claim revenge? There very well may be war by sundown.

Trying to bring democracy to much of the Middle East is more than likely bring to power radical Islamic clerics who have great contempt for the west and towards the United States and Israel in particular. It has been said that if Saudi Arabia were to hold free open democratic elections that Osama Bin Laden would end up a write in candidate that would win in a landslide. Is this what we are trying to accomplish in the Middle East?

What has become almost laughable of late is the denouncement of Hugo Chavez the populist and leftist President of Venezuela. Chavez has been elected not once, not twice but three times in open elections, as well as the people coming to his aid when the military attempted a coup. It was the people of Venezuela that pulled Chavez butt out of the fire yet Condoleeza Rice has the audacity to say that the United States needs to encourage democracy in Venezuela, is this woman serious or is she just jealous at the level of support Chavez musters from his ludicrous and often humorous remarks towards this administration?

The case of Haamas, is nearly as laughable since Israel has rejected many of the grievances of the Palestinian people based upon their lack of effective and legitimate democratic government, yet now that they have elected a government through this process, we find that Israel and the United States really meant was “their approved democracy”. Does the saying “be careful for what you ask for you just might get it”, ring a bell?

China on the other hand is far from democracy and although it is moving forward it is moving closer to the old Soviet style of Socialism than anything. This however does not seem to bother the Bush administration who were more than happy to stand in front of the world an put their arm around Hu Jintao and denounce the democratic efforts of Taiwan.

Are we now only supporting democracy in the Middle East, and then only supporting democracy to selected states, and then are we only accepting democratically elected governments that have our seal of approval? When we look at the broader implementation of this democratization policy it smacks more of a holy war wrapped in the guise of a political package than anything else. Then again, maybe this is the plan all along?

Flip