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Will the Mideast Bloom?

(Washington Post) Youssef M. Ibrahim - From Casablanca to Kuwait City, the writings of newspaper columnists and the chatter of pundits on Arabic language satellite television suggest a change in climate for advocates of human rights, constitutional reforms, business transparency, women's rights, and limits on power. Their common feature is a lifting - albeit a tentative one - of the fear that has for decades constricted the Arab mind. But the Middle East may more closely resemble 1989 Beijing than 1989 Berlin. While communism collapsed largely of its own weight in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union without U.S. intervention, pro-democracy demonstrators in China were squashed. What will U.S. policy in the Middle East look like if the autocrats, princes, and religious fundamentalists make a stand against the voices of freedom? There is a keen sense of irony that a passionately Christian American president who has supported Israel, invaded an Arab country, and presided over an occupation marred by violence might actually make a positive difference in the Muslim world. It has people citing the Koranic verse that speaks of a catastrophe that bears good fruits.
2005-03-14 00:00:00
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