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Bush and a Democratic Middle East
(Jerusalem Post) Daniel Pipes - The president renounced a long-accepted policy of "Middle East exceptionalism" - getting along with dictators - and stated U.S. policy would henceforth fit with its global emphasis of making democracy the goal. Understanding the rationale behind the old dictator-coddling policy makes clear the radicalism of this new approach. The old way noticed that the populations are usually more anti-American than are the emirs, kings, and presidents. Washington was rightly apprehensive that democracy would bring in more radicalized governments; this is what did happen in Iran in 1979 and nearly happened in Algeria in 1992. It also worried that once the radicals reached power, they would close down the democratic process (dubbed "one man, one vote, one time"). Bush's confidence in democracy - that despite the street's history of extremism and conspiracy-mindedness, it can mature and become a force of moderation and stability - is about to be tested.