"When it comes to spreading democracy, the Bush administration breaks no conceptual ground. Since its own war of independence, the United States has inspired others by its example, and its government has consciously promoted democracy since World War I. What is novel today is the interventionist quality of this policy and its application to the Middle East."
America has promoted democracy since World War I? Perhaps Pipes confuses American-friendly dictators with democracy. Perhaps he is incapable of distinguishing between American-backed coups and leaders elected by the people for the people. Actually, he is more than happy to accept America's role as meddler, briber and dictator in the years since World War I. For a more honest appraisal of America's real role, check out William Blum.
How does this information relate to promoting democracy?
"The CIA has been hiding and interrogating some of its most important al Qaeda captives at a Soviet-era compound in Eastern Europe, according to U.S. and foreign officials familiar with the arrangement.
"The secret facility is part of a covert prison system set up by the CIA nearly four years ago that at various times has included sites in eight countries, including Thailand, Afghanistan and several democracies in Eastern Europe, as well as a small centre at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, according to current and former intelligence officials and diplomats from three continents.
"The hidden global internment network is a central element in the CIA's unconventional war on terrorism. It depends on the cooperation of foreign intelligence services, and on keeping even basic information about the system secret from the public, foreign officials and nearly all members of Congress charged with overseeing the CIA's covert actions."
Or the news that Ahmad Chalabi, fraudster and liar, is shortly returning to Washington to reconnect with the Bush administration? Perhaps the Bushies could install him as Iraq's new leader. That would send a perfect message to the Iraqi people that democracy had taken hold in their country.
Maybe we should listen to Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, who has told America's leading Zionist propagandists, AIPAC, that "freedom" is prevailing in Iraq:
"If freedom prevails in Iraq, others in the region - including Syria and Iran - will be under greater pressure to open up their repressive political systems. And that is good news for Israel."
America's belief in spreading democracy is as convoluted as an addict looking for junk.
3 Comments:
And Pipes is given prominence in our media because of his supposed expertise on radical Islam. Surely a hatred of the religion should preclude him, but hey, he looks very serious.
Mr Loewenstein,
It beats me how a journalist and soon-to-be-published author can misunderstand Hadley's use of the word prevail when its meaning is obvious within the context. If you can't understand what is, really, pretty basic English, how are you going to cope with the complex issues treated by your book?
Lowy says that Hedley claims freedom is prevailing in Iraq. That isn't even close to what Hedley meant: he meant that, if freedom in Iraq gets the upper hand, or, is ultimately the normal state of affairs, then there will be pressure on the other regimes in the region. The two Hedley sentences quoted by Lowy do not refer to the current situation in Iraq. Lowy obviously doesn't do nuance.
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