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Arabs on the Verge of Democracy

(New York Times) Danielle Pletka- For the first time in half a century, democracy is the talk of the Arab world. The initial reviews of President Bush's push for reform in the Middle East may have been harsh, yet in the last few months, the debate, once confined to emigre papers published in London or Paris, has suddenly bubbled up onto the pages of the state-controlled press in the Arab world. Palestinian scholar Daoud Kuttab wrote in the London-based Arabic daily Al Hayat that "Arab democrats have failed to reach their goals through their own efforts" and should welcome support from outside "irrespective of the messenger." Naguib Mahfouz, the Egyptian Nobel laureate, warned in Al Ahram, Egypt's main daily newspaper, that postponing reform would be "playing with fire." While some in the U.S. continue to insist that Arab democracy is the fantasy of a discredited cabal in Washington, an effort to avoid what they assert should be America's only priority - resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - Arab intellectuals don't necessarily agree. The writer is vice president of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.
2004-08-09 00:00:00
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