BUSH's DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION: EVERYWHERE BUT AMERICA!

A Rejoinder to Joe Clark


In the unintentionally hysterical title “Bush’s Democratic Revolution,” of his last offering in the paper “The Cornell American,” which itself bears a name that could be considered an oxymoron, Joe Clark, generally pragmatic and well meaning conservative draws careful comparisons between the Marxist revolutions of yesteryear, and the new found conservative enthusiasm for a foreign policy of intervention into failed Arab states with the hopes of “facilitating liberal democracy.”. (Like after 9/11 when we demanded Saudi Arabia stop funding terrorism and started treating women equally-oh wait-my mistake!.)
Clark begins the article “Critiqued from the Scowcroft-Kissinger model, our current foreign policy towards the Arab world seems a great break from the former aim of stability.” He then applauds the “new framework for engaging with despotic regimes such as Iraq, Syria, and Iran.” It is interesting that Saudi Arabia: the country that was home to the majority of hijackers that carried out 9/11, not to mention arguably the ideological “Mecca” of the Islamic extremist movement, and last but not least: financially in bed with the policy makers of the country leading the democracy project is not mentioned ONCE in the entire screed! The Saudis have clearly been omitted from the list of hostile countries based on the fact that some of its more progressive leaders wear Armani suits.
Clark notes an “alliance” between former radical leftist intellectuals like Christopher Hitchens and David Horrowitz and “Texan” conservative President Bush (?) (Only in the Ivy League would someone refuse to mention Saudi Arabia once in an article about the need for democratic change in the Arab world and then treat “Texas” as if it were its own country.) on the subject of democratizing the Arab world. Saying the reason for this alliance is “clear…though not in front of ones nose.” Although it is unclear the exact point a bra burning radical becomes a Neo Conservative-one can understand this “strange marriage,” as Clark calls it, by appreciating the “inner yearning among leftist intellectuals to change what institutions and cultures they see as oppressive and unjust.”
Yea, okay, but here’s the thing. Several countries in the Arab world have cultures that would be considered oppressive and worse. So how does one pick and choose which backwards, murderous regimes to overthrow and which to support while retaining credibility. Clark really believes that intention trumps all. In his world the U.S. can go on a wild eyed democratic conversion of the Middle East fueled only by theory while in practice destroying its own credibility with things like Abu Graib, Gitmo, and routine torture of prisoners. This is the equivalent of a cop speeding. The fact that Saddam Hussein was sitting on the world’s third largest reserve of energy was obviously a non issue because the “gathering” threat of his phantom nukes was so dangerous it dwarfed all other economic considerations. Saudi Arabia, which contributes to the culture of terrorism more than Iraq did, by any stretch of the imagination, has had little pressure in any real sense to change their ways. Arabs, like many Americans, can sense an inconsistency in the U.S. policy and therefore have trouble jumping on the bandwagon.

As a result I would like to change Clarks first sentence, which he does word beautifully, to reflect what I feel is an accurate sentiment among of governing elite. “A new framework for engaging despotic regimes (that have either strategic importance in the region for future engagements or a hell of a lot of oil) and “facilitating liberal democracy” (by torture, secrecy, and basically any undemocratic means necessary) to create a Jeffersonian democracy in the heart of a cauldron of religious totalitarianism- unless of course the despotic regime happens to be our best friend. And for producing more of the men that carried out 9/11 than any other nation, what else Saudi Arabia could deserve but than a slap on the wrist-unless of course the Saudis had cut that wrist off in a public forum-something our best friend is known to do. That old adage: show me your friends and ill show you who you are rings true even in realpolitik.