(Washington Post) Jackson Diehl - A much-anticipated summit of the Arab League was abruptly put off because the kings, emirs, and presidents-for-life of the Arab Middle East were unable to agree on a common response to the Bush administration's new policy of promoting democracy in their region. The past year has seen the emergence of homegrown civic movements demanding political change, even in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Unlike their governments - and the old school of U.S. and European Arabists - they don't believe that change should be gradual, and they reject the dictators' claim that democracy would only empower Islamic extremists.
2004-03-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive