| |
Blog of Adam Daifallah -- author, journalist, law student. Lover of politics, writing, golf, curling, fitness, fashion, bacon and maple products -- not necessarily (but probably) in that order. Partisan of the Anglosphere. Contact me via email at adam@daifallah.com. This summer I am joined by Keir Wilmut and Omar Soliman.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Bush will win
I'm sticking to my guns. For about six months or so, I've been predicting President Bush will be re-elected. Back in May I wrote:
...But when it comes right down to it, the ballot question is going to be who can best prosecute the war on terrorism. The answer to that question is clear, Kerry's Vietnam credentials notwithstanding. This November will be a replay of the Bush I/Dukakis race in '88. Kerry will be portrayed as weak and ineffective on the national security question and that bugbear will ultimately cost him the election.
This analysis proved to be only half right. Yes, the Bush campaign -- along with some outside help, of course -- effectively portrayed Kerry as weak and untrustworthy, just like Bush pere did with Dukasis. But the real effectiveness of the Bush campaign was its wondrous job presenting Kerry as an unprincipled flip-flopper. The impression a lot of voters must have about Kerry is that he's changed his mind so many times on so many issues not even he knows what he stands for. The Bush campaign's branding was brilliant.
I know I'll regret this, but here's a little prediction for Tuesday:
POPULAR VOTE
Bush: 51%
Kerry: 48%
Nader: 1%
ELECTORAL COLLEGE
Bush: 298
Kerry: 240
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 5:54 PM
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Lesbians and Liberals
According to a story in today's La Presse, the Quebec youth wing of the federal Liberal Party is starting a new ad campaign using posters of a lesbian couple kissing.
I have not seen this reported in the English media. Look for it on the front page of a major national daily in 3-4 days.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 4:27 PM
Camille Paglia is a gem
I have a confession to make: Camille Paglia is my favourite cultural critic. When she was writing a regular column in the online magazine Salon (making her the sole reason to ever bother reading Salon) I used to devour her every word. I was quite saddened when the column ended last year.
Once in a while though, Paglia makes a surprise appearance -- like today. And it should come as no surprise that she hasn't rusted at all. (Please go through the hassle of the 15 second ad to get free access to the article, if you are prompted.)
While I was disappointed, but only slightly surprised, to hear that Paglia is voting for John Kerry (she is a registered Democrat, after all), she still managed to skewer the Democratic candidate and his lame campaign.
Particularly entertaining are her comments on John Edwards invoking Dick Cheney's gay daughter in the vice-presidential debate. Paglia, who is a lesbian, rips into Edwards:
I was absolutely sickened by the use of Mary Cheney as a political gambit by both Kerry and Edwards. My partner disagreed -- she thought it was fine. Many of our friends also thought it was OK. I did not. I found it utterly offensive and manipulative. I don't care whether Mary Cheney worked for Coors as a gay liaison. I don't care that she works for her father's campaign office. Mary Cheney has made her own rules and has not thrust herself into the national spotlight to speak publicly. It is unethical and grotesque to tag and stereotype her as "the lesbian" of this presidential campaign.
What gets me is that this was so clearly a Democratic strategy to avoid actually confronting Dick Cheney head-on. What rank cowardice! Come on! This shows you what's happened to the Democrats -- everything is I-feel-your-pain psychology; everything is melting emotion and ostentatious empathy. What the hell do you know, John Edwards, about what's going on in that family? Oh, the wise father so loves the gay daughter: What is this-- Betty Crocker, "Father Knows Best" politics? We're back in the 1950s?
And for Kerry to glibly invoke Mary Cheney as the archetypal lesbian in a nature-vs.-nurture dispute when he had other ready examples on his political side -- Dick Gephardt's daughter or Barney Frank -- just makes the whole thing look obviously calculating. And then the idiocy of that as a tactic at the climactic third debate -- in the following days, instead of all the media attention being focused on Bush's failings, air space was sucked up by this dopey soap opera.
And as a lesbian, I strongly object to the Democrats' amoral use of sexual orientation as a wedge issue. The Democrats are supposed to be pro-gay, and yet they're using an assertion of gayness to unsettle the Evangelical followers of the Republicans. They're deliberately fomenting and reinforcing hostility to gays! What the hell's the matter with the Democratic consultants? I'd like to kick their asses up and down the Eastern seaboard for this Mickey Mouse episode.
Absolute brilliance. That Paglia doesn't write more regularly is a real travesty.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 11:22 AM
Friday, October 29, 2004
Tell us more, Walter
Political wunderguy Walter Robinson has this juicy tidbit on his blog:
Fearless prediction time, by next Friday, Premier McGuinty will be short one high-profile Minister due to that Minister tendering their resignation or the Premier having no choice but to sack this individual due to a story being chased by several Toronto media outlets as I write. Developing ... as they would say.
Tell us more, Walter, tell us more...
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 7:47 PM
Thursday, October 28, 2004
The two solitudes
I had a feeling this would happen: True to form, whenever English Canada pans a political idea, Quebecers embrace it.
Today's La Presse has a new CROP poll showing that Mario Dumont's ADQ has jumped 6 points since he announced his "autonomous state of Quebec" plan. Ya, that plan -- the one that was ridiculed by every editorial board and opinion writer in the country (except maybe one.)
The support came from both the PQ and the Liberals, leaving the PQ at 37, the Liberals at 36 and the ADQ at 24.
Quebec politics continues to be the most interesting in the country.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 3:58 PM
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Update on the "Harper's Canada = Belgium" file
Stephen Harper published an article in today's National Post laying out his rationale behind his much-maligned "Belgium" plan for Canadian federalism. Good to see the Post give Harper this opportunity after they published piece after piece bashing the thing, despite the fact that no one knows virtually anything about it.
And a very important bit of news on this file went virtually unnoticed in the media today: one of the only people whose view on this issue actually matters -- Quebec Premier Jean Charest -- spoke favourably of it. According to a tiny brief buried in the Post:
OTTAWA - Quebec's Jean Charest is the only premier who has endorsed Conservative Leader Stephen Harper's plan to consider using aspects of Belgium's model of federalism as his blueprint for national unity in Canada.
...
"I'm supportive of the idea that we should be open to looking out at where (the) Canadian federal system works to make it as close (as) possible to our needs," Mr. Charest said prior to the first ministers meeting on equalization...
I have never been a huge Charest fan, and the wishy-washiness of the above statement is a good example of why. But if he's not dismissing Harper's trial balloon out of hand, it's a good sign.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 10:44 PM
Good news for the CPC
Wayne Gretzky's uncle, Al, has announced he'll run for the Tories in London come the next federal election.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 9:33 PM
Monday, October 25, 2004
Buy the Western Standard
Out today is the November 8 issue of the Western Standard magazine, which contains a cover story penned by myself and partner-in-crime Tasha Kheiriddin called "Rescuing Canada's Right." It's not available online, so I hope you'll pick up a copy.
This piece -- nearly 3,000 words in length -- extrapolates somewhat on the ideas I presented in a National Post oped in the summer, "Building a conservative Canada -- from the ground up." That piece generated quite a bit of response and sparked a lot of discussion; hopefully this one will too.
In short, we discuss the current lack of conservative philanthropy in Canada, the state of conservative think tanks and foundations vs. those on the left, and issue a challenge to do better. It's sorta complicated. Anyway, this is the thesis of a book we're writing on this subject.
If and when the piece becomes available online, I'll be sure to post it.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 3:00 PM
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Another good GOP ad
A new ad is out from the Bush campaign that attempts to highlight John Kerry and the Democrats' voting to cut spending on intelligence. This ad is effective, as you will see if you watch it, but it is not original. In fact, it's almost a direct copy of Reagan's famous "bear in the woods" ad from the 1984 campaign.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 5:24 PM
Thursday, October 21, 2004
More on Harper's Belgium proposal
I expressed surprise last Saturday at how little attention the English press was paying to Stephen Harper's trial balloon about federalism. Harper proposed borrowing some ideas from Belgium, involving the devolution of some federal authority in areas like communications to linguistic groups.
Turns out the Anglo media were just a little slow: the National Post fronted the story Tuesday morning, with the somewhat misleading headline "HARPER'S CANADA: BELGIUM." Since then, a mountain of opeds and commentators have unloaded on the idea.
The Canadian media is frustrating, especially their herd mentality. Harper has only said a few words about this idea to date. He has not described his plan in any detail whatsoever. Yet, before any meat is put on the bones, all of the country's pundits, commentators and editorial boards dismiss it out of hand, in almost total unanimity. No one will even say "at least he had an idea."
I don't understand why this is (other than it seems that the English media is almost uniformly Trudeauvian on federalism issues), especially given that we know virtually nothing about what the proposals are or what they mean. At first glance, I don't think I'm too big on this idea. It seems a bit far-fetched. But I'm still going to wait to learn more first, and I wish others would too.
Maybe it's just that I live in Quebec now, and that I'm seeing first-hand the need for some kind of reform of the federation. But I really do think the jury's still out on this whole thing. In fact, the jury hasn't even convened, because the case hasn't yet been made.
Here's Harper speech from last Friday where he briefly mentioned this idea. Instead of taking cues from the nattering nabobs in the comment pages, I suggest folks read this as a starting point, and then wait to hear more later.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 11:25 AM
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Worth reading
Pat Buchanan has (somewhat surprisingly) endorsed President Bush for re-election.
I don't agree with Buchanan on much, and I rarely read The American Conservative magazine. In fact, I care little about what Buchanan says. But he is a lucid writer, and I find it fascinating that someone like him, who has opposed nearly all of Bush's policies, and is a trade protectionist, still cannot muster the will to endorse John Kerry for President. I think this says a lot more about Kerry than Buchanan.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 3:10 PM
That was one weird movie
I rarely go to movies at the theatre, but tonight I went and saw Team America: World Police out of sheer curiosity. This is a strange film, but political buffs will get a real kick out of it. I laughed out loud many times, but was also bothered by some of the more graphic scenes. This movie contains some really sick scenes. One thing's for sure: the people behind it (the creaters of South Park) are creative geniuses. No doubt about that. I would encourage people to go and see it.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:16 AM
Monday, October 18, 2004
Devastating!
The Republicans and the conservative movement in America continue to completely outshine their Democratic counterparts in election advertising.
Check out this one from the conservative Club for Growth.
(Hat tip: Steve)
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 5:19 PM
Sunday, October 17, 2004
The CBC is too rich
I can't get over the CBC. What gall! Their weekly media show, Inside Media, just finished a panel where they bashed an outfit called Sinclair Broadcasting. This is the privately-owned station planning to show a documentary critical of John Kerry. Here's a description of the panel from the CBC's own site:
When news and views mix
And we'll ask if a conservative television company's decision to air a partisan documentary that looks at John Kerry's anti-war activism in the 1970's, is an attempt to rob the democratic candidate of his chance to win the White House. Democrats are crying foul. And Republicans? They think it's good journalism. Is this another example of partisan politics seeping into the world of TV journalism? We'll go inside.
Meanwhile, the Mother Corp tonight is showing a two-hour (2 hour!) French-made Bush bashing documentary. From the CBC website's own promotional copy:
If you're not yet having nightmares about the world being in the hands of a circle of crazed zealots, this should do it. The World According to Bush, a two-hour documentary about the inner-workings of the Bush administration, will frighten even the most hardened Washington-watchers. Fans and critics of the acclaimed Fahrenheit 9/11 will want to see this thoughtful and damning investigation of the U.S. administration.
Does anyone else see the hypocrisy here? It's unbelievable (Actually no, it's not. It's the CBC.)
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 6:54 PM
Who knew?
John Crosbie seems to have his own column now in the Toronto Sun. If today's installment is any indication, it should make for lively reading.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 10:54 AM
Saturday, October 16, 2004
At least Harper's got an idea...
...although I'm not so sure what to think of it, yet. The Conservative leader is proposing that the Canadian federation mimic Belgium, by giving linguistic communities some control over communications and broadcasting. And that's about the extent of what we know. Language groups would have some authority over communications and broadcasting, apparently. Harper and his people reportedly refused questions after announcing this in a Quebec City speech, which likely means they want to see what kind of press reaction they'll get before developing it further. Scant attention has been paid to this in the Anglo press today, but the the French media is already calling it the new "beau risque," in reference to the strategy of reconciling with Canada adopted by René Levesque in the post-1980 referendum period. I think it's risky, but at least it's something new. This is likely Harper's way of proposing giving new powers to the minority French community -- most of which is concentrated in Quebec -- without devolving more authority exclusively the Quebec provincial government. We'll see where it goes... 10/19/04 UPDATE: The National Post put this story on its front page today (Tuesday), a full three days after it was first reported by the French press.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 4:59 PM
Tom Flanagan profile
I had never picked up an issue of The Walrus magazine before -- until last week.
I bought the October issue (article not online) to check out the profile of Tom Flanagan and the "Calgary School" by Marci McDonald. I was expecting an elucidating read: McDonald is, in my view, one of the best Canadian journalists on the scene today (at least as far as profile-writing goes). Her piece on David Frum while he was a White House speechwriter from a couple of years ago (in the Ottawa Citizen I believe) might be the best profile I've ever read.
I just finished reading her piece on Flanagan and, well, it's a big disappointment. It was your prototypical profile of a right-winger by a left-winger, replete with subtle jabs, condescension, etc... You know what I mean. A real shame. I expected much better from McDonald.
UPDATE: Here's a link to the story.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 3:19 PM
Friday, October 15, 2004
Mullahs jail bloggers
More disgraceful behaviour from the country John Kerry wants to resume relations with: Iran has thrown six bloggers in jail.
(Via Daimnation!)
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 9:21 AM
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Not that effective
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth have two new ads out, and they aren't so great. They don't even touch their third to last ad. But still, the message is powerful, as is the sheer number of these guys.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 3:00 PM
The Abdullah-Saddam connection
The New York Sun's Eli Lake has a big scoop about Jordanian King Abdullah:
WASHINGTON - Lawyers for Ahmad Chalabi are prepared to prove in an American court that Jordan's King Abdullah attempted to sell arms to Saddam Hussein in 1992 when he was only a prince and not heir to the throne.
A handwritten letter to Saddam from his late son Uday, dated February 9, 1992, lists prices for old Soviet military equipment and says that then-Prince Abdullah recommended Uday contact an intermediary identified as "Jack al-Khayyat," who could arrange the sale.
The letter says the proposal was made to Iraqi sources in Jordan through Mr. al-Khayyat. Prince Abdullah sought to import the equipment and then sell it to Iraq for cash payments. On offer were T-72 tanks for $50,000 a piece; MIG-29 fighter jets for $1,000,000 a piece; transport planes for between $200,000 and $300,000 apiece as well as troop carriers fitted with 100 mm cannons, and helicopters.
Saddam declined the sale, saying that his treasury was depleted, in a three-line note written at the end of the document.
It will be fascinating to see whether this story gets any legs.
Could this be why Abdullah has been complicit in the smear campaign against Ahmad Chalabi?
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 10:33 AM
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Tonight's debate...
...was boring.
Both candidates spent the whole night throwing red meat at their base. That's what politics is all about now -- "activing the base." Nothing new was said, nothing new was learned.
To sleep I go.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 10:33 PM
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
A true believer to the core
Once in a while you'll read or hear about people who are really dedicated to the cause of freedom, and commit their lives to the cause. They work in government, they write articles, attend conferences about international affairs, etc...
These people are important, and do really good work. I wouldn't want to demean them in any sense. But few of them have actually done the real work of advancing freedom in the world in the practical sense. By that, I mean few have actually really gotten their hands dirty in the trenches -- working with underground movements in other countries, scuttling out refugees, endangering their lives by protesting regimes, etc....
Very, very few people can boast of actually doing this. One who could was someone named Constantine Menges, who passed away too young a few months ago.
A great and moving tribute to the man can be found here, written by the Hudson Institute's Michael Fumento. Just a few nuggets from Fumento's article about this incredible life:
- His parents fled to Poland from Turkey after being arrested for publicly opposing Hitler.
- Fled to America in 1943, worried that Turkey would join the Axis powers.
- While a college student in Prague, Constantine Menges heard that East German authorities were quickly throwing up a wall littered with machine-gun posts to enclose East Berlin and permanently trap the occupants. He hopped into his tiny VW, drove to the city, and began making shuttle runs through Checkpoint Charlie. Each time he returned with a Bug stuffed with refugees.
- He was a volunteer worker in Mississippi for equal voting rights during the "long, hot summer" of 1963.
- He marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr....
I met Menges a couple of times when I worked in DC. He had a reputation for being overzealous, but if you read this piece, seems to me he was just more prophetic or clairvoyant than everyone else. What a neat life. read on....
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 6:40 PM
Chalk up a few extra votes for Bush...
...thanks to the Norwegians:
Norwegians including artists and politicians made a rare foray into U.S. politics Tuesday with an advertisement in a U.S. newspaper saying that President Bush's war on terror was backfiring.
The Norwegian group "www.tellhim.no" said it used about $50,000 in donations from 4,000 people to fund the advertisement in the Washington Post to tell Bush that 80 percent of people in NATO-member Norway opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
There are few things Americans hate more than being told what to do by people who aren't Americans. This ad will likely help Bush more than it will hurt.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:05 PM
Friday, October 08, 2004
Blogging hiatus
I will be away for Thanksgiving and likely won't be posting again until Monday. Have a great weekend.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 8:39 AM
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Judith Miller, freedom fighter
This is a very important story: Judith Miller, a crackerjack reporter at The New York Times, is facing jail time because she refuses to name confidential sources. This all has to do with the Valerie Plame affair, in which columnist Bob Novak reported the name of a CIA agent (Plame) which is illegal.
If you're wondering why Miller is in trouble with the law, well, so am I. She never even published a story about Plame. But just for apparently obtaining the information, she is facing serious reprimand:
U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan ordered Miller jailed until she agrees to testify about her sources before a grand jury, but said she could remain free while pursuing an appeal. Miller could be jailed up to 18 months. "
I'm extremely disappointed that I have been sentenced to jail despite the fact that I did not write, and The Times did not publish, an article about (CIA officer) Valerie Plame," Miller said in a statement. "It's frankly frightening that just for doing my job and talking to government employees about public issues, I may be deprived of my freedom and family."
As Arthur Sulzberger, the Times' publisher, said in a statement:
"Judy Miller has done nothing wrong. She is not the person who revealed the identity of a CIA agent. Yet she is the one who is facing time in jail while the very people who exposed Ms. Plame remain unpunished. The special counsel should be able to get to the bottom of this case without threatening reporters with jail."
I'm in complete agreement.
This is a very serious case for the future of journalism in the United States, and likely everywhere else. I have immense respect for Judy, having spent time with her last year when I was reporting in Iraq. She is an extremely gifted and hard-working reporter.
I admire her even more now for her principled stand on this issue.
Judy, we are with you all the way!!!! Keep it up!
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 3:10 PM
Will Tiger Woods' marriage improve his game?
There's been a fair bit in the papers the last two days about Tiger Woods' marriage to Swedish beauty Elin Nordegren. The event was a posh affair somewhere in the Caribbean, costing an apparent $1.5-million! (Woods reserved the entire hotel.) The press was kept fairly out of the loop, although some minor details were leaked: stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley were in attendance, for example.
This story interests me only marginally. I don't really care who Tiger Woods marries, but it will be interesting to watch how it effects his golf game and career.
Lorne Rubenstein's Globe column (subscription required) discussed this issue yesterday. Jack Nicklaus married Barbara at 20, she was an essential element in keeping him grounded and his good play for his entire life. Of course, they were married before Jack won any professional majors, and Tiger already has a good deal of success under his belt.
But where will Tiger go now? He's struggling, having slipped from 1st to 3rd in the world rankings.
Vijay Singh says he needs to make swing changes to adapt to his body as he ages. Perhaps. I think its probably more about focus. Tiger might improve as he ages and has kids -- that's what happened to Nicklaus, who had 5. That type of life change can increase your focus because it forces you to prioritize and to not waste any time. But I'd wager it can also have the reverse effect, as some become totally consumed by life off the course. We'll see what happens to Tiger.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 9:04 AM
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Maitre Chez Nous on Viagra
I have an article today on the ADQ and their recent policy shift in the National Post; happily, the piece is not behind the "subscriber wall" so you can read it free here.
The basic premise: English Canada should calm down. Virtual hysterics erupted a little over a week ago after Mario Dumont declared that the ADQ would pursue making Quebec an "autonomous state" within Canada. This policy is not as scary as critics might think, and might be a viable long-term solution to the always-lingering Canadian constitutional question.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 9:45 AM
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Edwards was on fire
Seems that my interpretations of debate performances are always at odds with the majority, so let's see if this one is the same: I thought Edwards wiped the floor with Cheney. Far more sharp, articulate and polished. Let's see what the polls say.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 11:11 PM
Rodney Dangerfield, RIP
Sad news. Caddyshack and Caddyshack II will always be two of my favourite movies.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 8:15 PM
Concordia = Censorship
One of the great things about being in Montreal is that I can witness the incredibly lively politics at Concordia. The latest salvo in the ongoing tensions here concerning Middle East issues is the university administration's decision to ban Ehud Barak from speaking on campus. This, of course, comes after pro-Palestinian students shut down a planned speech by Benjamin Netanyahu. (The university is claiming Barak's visit would be a security threat.)
Today a pro-free speech rally was held, and I went and took some pictures:
It was a diverse crowd, probably about 200 people.
An impassioned supporter.
Ditto.
Nice sign.
McGill professor Gil Troy, in full academic regalia, speaks out for free speech.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:20 PM
Monday, October 04, 2004
Why I can't support Jim DeMint
This:
CHARLESTON — Gays and lesbians should not be allowed to teach in public schools, Republican Jim DeMint said Sunday in a U.S. Senate debate.
The remark came late in the first debate between DeMint and Democrat Inez Tenenbaum — a testy and acrimonious hour that broke little new ground on their positions on most issues.
DeMint, a Greenville congressman, said the government should not endorse homosexuality and “folks teaching in school need to represent our values.”
Tenenbaum, the state education superintendent, called DeMint’s position “un-American.”
DeMint said after the debate that he would not require teachers to admit to being gay, but if they were “openly gay, I do not think that they should be teaching at public schools.”
Sorry, but is absolutely pathetic and unacceptable. There's no place for statements or attitudes like this in any civilized country. I hope Jim Demint loses.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 8:31 PM
Stop the occupation...
Sunday, October 03, 2004
Teresa the terrible
In a rather snappish comment below, Lukas from Optimus Crime said:
"Adam, I had to laugh that your rare nod of agreement with Naomi Wolf comes when she makes a wild, regressive generalization about women and implies that female voters care less about substantive issues than seeing Laura Bush in flattering "jewel tones", or when she uncritically describes Teresa Heinz-Kerry's power and independence as a liability. Lukas"
I think I can deduce from this -- but not with certainty -- that Lukas is implying that Ms. Heinz-Kerry is not a liability to the Kerry campaign.
Uh, think again:
Democratic election advisers have ordered Teresa Heinz Kerry to adopt a lower profile in the final stages of the campaign by her husband, Senator John Kerry, for the White House because they fear that she may be alienating voters.
Mrs Heinz Kerry, who as the heiress to the Heinz fortune is one of the world's richest women, has been told to keep out of the spotlight because her outspoken and unpredictable manner is regarded as an electoral liability.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 2:49 PM
Saturday, October 02, 2004
This is one of the sickest stories I've ever seen.
Friday, October 01, 2004
Support Arab reformers
Very good but likely to be overlooked op-ed by Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the chairman of the U.S. House International Relations Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia, on the need to support real reform in the Middle East. The timing of this piece is bad, this being the day after the first presidential debate.
The objective is for the United States to proactively engage and support reformers in these countries and assist in developing the Middle East into a bastion of stable free-market democratic societies...Arab countries must begin to rebuild their societies by taking steps to provide for full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms as the cornerstones of good governance; the integration and complete empowerment of women; education as a means of achieving social advancement, rather than a means of perpetuating poverty; and a discriminatory class system...Thus, economic reforms and trade liberalization are directly intertwined with political reforms, with success on the commercial front contingent upon progress on the political front.
....
Since the 1950s, U.S. policy toward the Middle East has focused on trying to meet the economic and social needs of the people in the region. The desire to help raise the quality of life of our fellow human beings in the Arab world has been and must be a fundamental premise of our actions. Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, the need to help free the people of the region from deprivation, in all its manifestations, has become a matter of national and global security.
The presidential debate last night focused on security. Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of sabre-rattling. But regime change alone cannot bring lasting change to the Middle East. It's a two-front battle, and too often the work of the battle of ideas is shunted aside.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:57 PM
|
