Bush's plan post-Iraq? Democracy for
Bush's plan post-Iraq? Democracy for the whole region.
The world has a clear interest in the spread of democratic values, because stable and free nations do not breed the ideologies of murder; they encourage the peaceful pursuit of a better life. And there are hopeful signs of the desire for freedom in the Middle East -- And from Morocco to Bahrain and beyond, nations are taking genuine steps toward political reform. A new regime in Iraq would serve as a dramatic and inspiring example of freedom to other nations of the region.
I certainly agree with the goal (although I'd prefer "capitalist republic" instead of "democracy", thanks). But given as much, why announce it to the whole world? Making a speech like this puts Iran and Saudi Arabia and all the other nations on notice that they're in the on-deck circle.
I'm not going to conclude that the speech was a mistake; Bush is a man who knows the impact of his words (the occassional misspoken word and mention of concepts such as "crusade" notwithstanding). I can only guess that there's an important reason Bush made this speech before the war -- especially when his opponents would love to use a statement like this as evidence that the US has wide-ranging conquest in mind for the whole region. I'd like to believe that it's an example of moral leadership, aimed at the people who need it most -- the opposition groups in the Middle East who need all the moral support to take action on their own. We need to have them do the work from the inside; we can't -- and shouldn't -- do it for them.
It sure is interesting though.
Posted by Matt at February 26, 2003 8:13 PM
