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Calls for Democracy Seen as Selective

(Washington Post) Howard Schneider - President Bush may have discovered a need to upset the ruling order in the Palestinian Authority in hopes of quelling what he views as terrorism, but American leaders have been much more hesitant to apply the same standards in such allied countries as Egypt, where U.S. interests have been protected by a former air force officer, and Saudi Arabia, whose monarchs rule beyond the reach of any electorate. The royal leaders of Saudi Arabia, who are among those trying to put the best face on Bush's initiative, have suddenly become fans of electoral politics. Saudi Arabia, however, has never held an election. It is a monarchy governed by a clique of brothers who rely for advice on an appointed consultative body and extensive meetings with citizens, but are not accountable in any formal way for their performance. Egypt, meanwhile, which has jailed pro-democracy and other activists for accepting foreign donations, has said it is ready to intervene and help restructure Palestinian institutions. In Jordan -- which has postponed parliamentary elections in order to avoid expected gains by Islamic candidates -- King Abdullah welcomed Bush's speech. "There is no number two in the Palestinian Authority. There is no number two in Egypt, no number two in Syria. There is no number two in the entire Arab world," said a Lebanese political scientist. "The U.S. has always backed authoritarian regimes and been very comfortable dealing with these regimes."
2002-07-01 00:00:00
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