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U.S. Promotes Free Elections, Only to See Allies Lose

[New York Times] Hassan M. Fattah - Last Sunday's pivotal by-election in Lebanon saw a relatively unknown candidate from the opposition narrowly beat a former president, Amin Gemayel. Gemayel's doom seems to have been sealed by his support from the Bush administration. "It's the kiss of death," said Turki al-Rasheed, a Saudi reformer. "The minute you are counted on or backed by the Americans, kiss it goodbye, you will never win." The paradox of American policy in the Middle East - promoting democracy on the assumption it will bring countries closer to the West - is that almost everywhere there are free elections, the American-backed side tends to lose. "No politician can afford to identify with the West because poll after poll shows people don't believe in the U.S. agenda," said Mustafa Hamarneh, until recently the director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan.
2007-08-10 01:00:00
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