Since the end of the Cold War, Francis Fukuyama, author of "The End of History" in 1989, seems to be angered any time history shows up again to overturn a dictatorship.
Fukuyama, a foreign policy analyst and former neoconservative, believes the liberation of Iraq is a bad thing, and now he writes and re-writes his new theme that we should have left fascism in place in Iraq.
His most recent article is "After Neoconservativism," printed in the Feb. 19 New York Times Magazine. In it, he complains that the free elections the U.S. is promoting in the Middle East sometimes let the people pick religious leaders and fanatics whom Americans would rather not deal with.
Bush’s response. Today, President Bush answered Fukuyama without naming him. In a speech to the American Legion in Washington, the president said it is unacceptable for the U.S. to turn a blind eye to the repression of democratic rights.
Bush said:
Some critics have pointed out that the free elections in the Middle East have put political power in the hands of Islamics and extremists, in the case of the Palestinian elections, a notorious -- notorious terrorist organization. Critics argue that our policies of promoting democracy are backfiring and destabilizing the region. I strongly disagree.
First, their argument rests on the false assumption that the Middle East was a bastion of stability before the United States came in and disturbed the status quo by promoting democracy.
It was the status quo of the Middle East that led to the bombing of our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. It was the status quo in the Middle East that led to the attack of the U.S. Cole that killed 17 American sailors. It was the status quo in the Middle East that produced 19 hijackers and took planes and crashed them into the Pentagon and the World Trade Towers, and killed nearly 3,000 innocent people on September the 11th, 2001. The status quo in the Middle East was dangerous and unacceptable, and our security demanded that we change it.
Secondly, the idea that lasting stability can be achieved by denying people a voice in the future control of their destiny is wrong. It is, in large part, because people in the Middle East have been denied legitimate means to express dissent that radical extremism has flourished. And it’s only by giving people in the Middle East the freedom to express their opinions and choose their leaders that we will be able to defeat radical extremism. As liberty spreads in the broader Middle East, freedom will replace despair and hope. And over time the terrorist's temptation will fall away.
Third, free societies do not take root overnight, especially in countries that have suffered from decades of tyranny and repression. It should come as no surprise that after 60 years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East, civil society in that region is not strong and those with the most extreme views are the most organized.
It will take time for the people of this region to build political parties and movements that are moderate in their views and capable of competing in a free democratic system. Yet free elections cannot wait for perfect conditions. Free elections are instruments of change. By giving people an opportunity to organize, express their views, and change the existing order, elections strengthen the forces of freedom and encourage citizens to take control of their own destiny.
Finally, as democracy takes root, the responsibilities of governing will have a moderating influence on those who assume power in free elections. It’s easier to be a martyr than a mayor, or a cabinet minister. When you’re responsible for building roads and bridges and power stations and educating people and providing help, you're less likely to blow up health clinics and schools and bridges.
In democracies, elected leaders must deliver real change in people’s lives, or the voters will boot them out at the next election time. This is a lesson that the leaders of Hamas will now have to learn, as they take power after their election victory in the Palestinian Territories. Hamas campaigned on a platform of fighting corruption and improving social services, and that is how a Hamas government will be judged by the Palestinian people.
Bush makes the point well. Democracy isn’t a perfect thing, but it’s better than all alternatives. And it’s the people’s right.
Fukuyama won’t be persuaded. These days, he’s equating liberation to Leninism. He needs to read a few more history books. Lenin never had anything to do with freedom.
Frank Warner
SEE ALSO: Christopher Hitchens declares "The End of Fukuyama."
Comments