(Economist-UK) - In Washington on November 6th George Bush made an excellent speech in which he said that Arabs were no less capable than other people of enjoying democracy and that helping them to do so should and would be part of American policy for decades to come. Indeed, the Arabs' British and French colonizers seldom took the view that Arabs were fit for democracy. There are still many people - both Arabs (usually the ones in power) and observers of Arabs - who invoke religion, culture, and a medley of other excuses in order to argue that the Arab world is uniquely unsuited to democracy. It is no bad thing for an American president to declare that he believes none of the excuses. Having the power to hire and fire your government is a simple idea that most Arabs both understand and, according to opinion surveys, want for themselves.
2003-11-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive