(Washington Times) Robert Charles - Will we see Jeffersonian principles embraced by formerly radical Islamic leaders and once privileged princes? Is the Middle East inexorably drawn into the vortex of global freedom? Ideally, yes. Realistically, there is more uncertainty ahead than before. In the Middle East today the dominant culture is unfamiliar with democratic institutions, does not revere tolerance, does not treat as self-evident either the civic duties or civil rights enshrined in Western culture, and has no experience with the basic operations - the ebb and flow, give and take - of democratic society. With several notable exceptions, literacy is low, poverty great, the draw of radical Islam ever-present, and resentment of the West, as well as secular institutions, high. The writer is former assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement, 2003-2005.
2005-04-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive