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WORD COUNT
652
APRIL 13, 2005
FOR ARAB WORLD PEACE,
MORE VOICES NEED ATTENTION – by Waleed Hazbun and Michelle Woodward
Pundits on the right
have been quick to say the Bush administration deserves credit for
sparking democratic rumblings across the Middle East. They note the
popular protests against Syrian influence in Lebanon and Egyptian
President Husni Mubarak’s
pledge to allow multiple candidates to run in the presidential
elections, as well as local elections in Saudi Arabia. These events,
they argue, show that the war in Iraq is realizing its true purpose.
Should critics of the invasion of Iraq now concede that they were wrong?
Voices on the left
and other critics of the war tell us no. All they see is hypocrisy. They
point out, correctly, that democracy in Iraq has failed to include the
disgruntled Sunni Arab community, that Mubarak has taken only
superficial liberalizing steps while imprisoning a likely presidential
rival, that the United States looks away as U.S. allies in Jordan and
Tunisia crack down on free speech and dissent and Israel expands
settlements in the West Bank. Mr. Bush, they say, doesn’t care about
real democracy. He prefers a weak, divided region all the easier to
control from the outside.
But there’s more to
it than that. Behind recent events is a range of diverse movements, from
liberal to Islamist, which have sought since the early 1970s to
challenge authoritarian rule.
The legitimacy of
Arab regimes, which was built upon the nationalist movements of the
1950s, began to wane by the late 1960s along with funding for their
extensive welfare systems. Student protests, labor organizing and
Islamist movements emerged to pose challenges. As their grip on
populations slipped, states began to face violent opposition from
militant Islamist groups, while moderate Islamist social movements
gathered popular support by providing social services and challenging
corruption.
In response,
authoritarian regimes have experimented with limited reforms, but have
only survived by repressing both Islamist and secular oppositional
movements. Those states friendly to Washington counted on U.S. military,
political and economic support in these efforts to maintain power.
That is, until now.
Mr. Bush’s wielding of American power has destabilized the status quo
and put pressure on regimes to reform. But U.S. policy has done little
to promote real accountability and political openness. The war has
greatly increased regional instability and animosity towards U.S. policy
and puts the potential for deep and meaningful reforms at risk.
The United States has
long had many other tools available to promote good governance and
public participation in politics. In particular we could make it clear
to all states, allies included, that the United States is concerned for
their long-term stability in the face of legitimate pressures from their
own citizens. The United States should promote the system of democracy
and the rule of law, rather than particular factions or players. One
place to start: In Egypt the United States could apply pressure to end
the state of emergency imposed after the assassination of President
Anwar Sadat in 1981, helping to open up the political arena for greater
public participation.
In the short-term,
struggles for reform within Arab societies are not likely to coincide
with U.S. geopolitical interests. Just as political reforms will open up
space for liberal movements, Egypt will have to legalize Islamist
parties while Palestinian and Lebanese politics will need to incorporate
the widely popular Islamist groups Hamas and Hizballah. The danger is
not that Islamists will gain power, but that limits on democracy (by the
regimes or due to U.S. pressure) will derail genuine reform efforts.
If U.S. policy does
not promote the inclusion of all voices equally across the region, then
those groups labeled as unsupportive of U.S. interests will find
themselves marginalized from, and fighting against, reform efforts.
Moreover, a selective embrace of certain reform movements may doom them
to accusations of being U.S. puppets. Promoting democracy means helping
to open up the political arena for greater public participation. The
United States itself is better served in the long run by inclusive
governments accountable to their own people.
--
Waleed Hazbun teaches
political science at Johns Hopkins University. Michelle Woodward is
media coordinator at the Middle East Research and Information Project.
MERIP, publisher of “Middle East Report” magazine, is an independent,
non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C.
www.merip.org – A photo of Waleed Hazbun is available
CLICK HERE
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