American Democracy

America is retreating from its plan to democratize the Arab world, the Middle East and beyond, since it is no longer complemented by the enthusiasm with which it overflowed and spread to the Arab world. They have now decided that this part of the world cannot be dealt with only after it is democratized, or after the imposition of democracy as a way of life.

At this time, America has pushed many of our compatriots to follow the American fashion that they did not want to wear. Alas, its way does not fit the specifics of the region because they do not know the region; their viewpoint is the Israeli viewpoint, which the Israelis paint the way they want it to be and send the stylized image to America. From them, the image is returned to us and we try to follow it.

The U.S. has succeeded in selling the idea to some, who found the opportunity to continue their own agendas, because they knew that America’s gifts are not without some good and that her aid this time will continue in other ways that they like. America has supplied them the money and opened their offices and sent them projects and named issues with different names they know and we finally know.

However, the collapse of the project to democratize the Arab world was heralded by America clearly and definitely last weekend, at the Future Conference in Doha, in which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton participated. There was nothing new, and so perhaps she came to participate merely for the sake of participation. She perhaps had hoped to come up with something, but she was surprised as anyone else that America and its intentions are no longer what they were when they rushed into the democratization of the Arab world, or not by force or size what was expected. In fact, Canada submitted a new draft to all on the peace process, essentially resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict. Perhaps Israel itself will oppose the draft, to try to mitigate its tone and because they don’t want to be tarred with the same brush as their allies. They cannot be mediators and have a party talk between them and their Arab counterparts. It was leaked that Clinton promised that the monitoring of progress will yield new ideas in the future.

A bilateral or joint directorate is now led by France, which almost welcomed the deposed President Bin Ali. Everything indicated readiness to receive him in Paris, but at the last minute the reasonable have seen the truth and avoided a quagmire.

The new things in the draft are public freedoms, development and the future, modernization, political and social reform, elections and other terms. These stand now confused and without support because the Arab world is not as the West wants it to be. It cannot take off its coat and go down to the street, as the will of the West, nor is it controlled by its own baffled scientists, experts and reformers — to the extent that the recommendations are not open to interpretation that would let the Arab world deal them and take the position it pleases, so the region swings back and forth. As it is doing in the case of this new peace project.