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The
US is behaving as though it has the patent on
“democracy”. In the same way it exports Uncle Ben’s
Rice, Starbucks and F16s to the Middle-East it is eager
to impose its own stars and stripes brand of “rule by
the people for the people”.
The US wants us to
believe that democracy comes in one size fits all like a
“made in America” T-shirt. It has attempted to cloak
this system of governance, which has its roots in
ancient Greece, with an almost religious aura. Those who
challenge it are unfairly dubbed communists, fascists,
despots or dictators.
It’s time to break
this contrived taboo. We must analyze America’s motives
in trying to remake this region in its own image. We
must question whether Western-style democracy is right
for us. And we must ask ourselves whether there is a
better solution; a home-grown solution based on who we
truly are and what we need.
Washington
arrogantly tells us democracy is the only way
forward for this region in the spite of the fact the
Arab world has functioned without it for thousands of
years, producing remarkable thinkers and accomplishments
in the fields of literature, mathematics, philosophy and
science.
This is not to
imply that many of our governments are perfect – far
from it - but neither are Western so-called democracies
where citizens are often indoctrinated into believing
they are free when many are not.
What is freedom?
Now for an
important question: what constitutes freedom?
First of all,
before anyone can be free their basic needs – shelter,
food, education, healthcare and security – must be
satisfied.
What use is a
ballot box to someone who is living in a cardboard box
on the streets? What value is a vote to a person who
cannot afford to pay for his child’s bone marrow
transplant? What good is a passport to a person who
cannot pay for a ticket to travel?
Yes, they may be
citizens of a democracy but if that country isn’t able
or willing to care for them, “democracy and freedom” is
little more than an irrelevant intellectual concept.
This was
illustrated last year when Hurricane Katrina hit the
American state of Louisiana. The ensuing flood destroyed
more than homes. As the world watched in disbelief, the
myth of the American Dream was dramatically shattered.
Away from the tourist centre of New Orleans were
third-world type suburbs populated with mostly
African-Americans, the poorest of the poor.
When evaluating the
American system, which isn’t a true democracy but
officially a “Democratic Republic”, it’s worth noting
how little say ordinary people have when it comes to
choosing their president, who must first have the
approval and financial backing of corporate campaign
contributors.
It’s no accident
that in recent years, there have been political
dynasties in the US, notably the Kennedy’s and the
Bush’s. While, who knows, in 2008, we may be able to add
the Clinton’s to that list. In a country that boasts a
population of almost 300 million, are we to assume that
the best people to govern are ‘coincidentally’ drawn
from just a few families?
In essence, while
voters are led to believe they are in charge of their
own destiny they are, in fact, presented with only two
choices – Democrats or Republicans. Anything else is a
virtual throw-away vote. The way that the Electoral
College system is devised also means the presidential
also-ran may have garnered more of the popular votes
than the “winner”, which flies in the face of the
one-man, one-vote concept”.
So the American way
is not so much ‘rule by the people for the people’ than
‘rule of the people by a military-industrial complex’,
albeit dressed in a democratic façade for the benefit of
a naïve and trusting public.
“New Middle East”
George Bush and his
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice talk of a “new
Middle-East”, presumably designed in America’s image.
They deliberately ignore our history, heritage, culture,
traditions, religions and sects or the fact that any
system of good governance must be drawn-up with such
complexities in mind.
Have you ever asked
yourself why the Bush administration is so determined to
democratize the Middle East? Do you seriously believe
Mr. Bush, a man on a mission, sheds tears for our
people?
Don’t you ever
wonder why a country thousands of miles away spends so
much time effort and money trying to change the Arab
world, while turning a blind eye to the suffering of
millions of Africa and Asia, not to mention the 43
million Americans unable to afford health insurance,
including millions who live below the poverty line?
Why is Washington
obsessed with our region? There is a simple answer: The
US wants to preserve its strategic partner Israel’s
security and control this region’s precious natural
resources. To do this effectively it needs to weaken
current leaderships by stirring up internal strife under
the standard of democracy and freedom.
Then, it hopes to
insert US-friendly puppet governments that will put the
interests of their own peoples secondary to those of
America and Israel’s.
We must not fall for this
elaborate con. And make no mistake it is a con as we can
see from America’s failed experiments in Afghanistan,
Iraq and Palestine.
During a speaking
engagement in Salt Lake City on August 29, Condoleezza
Rice had this to say on the subject:
“Who could have
imagined the positive changes we have already witnessed
in places as different as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and
Kuwait and Morocco, and Jordan? And who could have
imagined that the people of Lebanon would stand up by
the hundreds of thousands and call for a new democratic
future to begin?”
“And, of course, who
could have imagined that the people of Iraq and
Afghanistan, after years of tyranny and misery, would
turn out by the millions to make their voices heard and
to vote for a better life?”
Who is she kidding?
Yes, they did vote for a better life, but the problem is
due to American interference, they ended up with a worse
one.
She did not mention
that the Taliban have regrouped in lawless Afghanistan
where young Afghan girls are afraid to leave the house
for fear of being abducted or that this year’s opium
poppy crop – destined for the streets of Europe - was
the biggest ever.
She didn’t mention
that Iraqis are dying at the rate of more than 50 every
single day, an intolerable statistic that fuels demands
for the country to be split into three. Indeed a recent
Pentagon report suggests Iraq may be on the verge of a
civil war. And she didn’t explain that Iraq’s
‘democracy’ is nothing more than a farce when most
individuals automatically vote for their own tribal or
religious leaders, which is a recipe for the majority
ethnic or religious group dominating all others.
She didn’t mention
her government’s deliberate destruction of the
Palestinian National Authority that was voted-in as a
result of free and fair elections and she failed to
condemn Israel’s kidnapping of duly-elected cabinet
ministers.
She didn’t mention
that if Egypt were pushed into amending its constitution
and electoral system before conditions are right, the
country could be thrust into chaos with investors
fleeing for the hills.
And she certainly
didn’t allude to her government’s betrayal of Lebanon’s
democratically-elected pro-US government that pleaded
with her to call for an immediate ceasefire as whole
sections of the country were reduced to mountains of
shattered concrete.
Condoleezza Rice is
an intelligent woman. So we must construe that she is
intent on pulling the wool over our eyes to suit her
administration’s true objectives. She knows that the
Middle East isn’t a single monolith. She knows it is
richly made up of different religions and sects, and she
surely knows that our region needs strong leaders able
to inspire populations and heal sectarian divisions.
Enough is enough!
Please don’t let’s fall for this misleading rhetoric any
longer. We are wise enough to form our own ways of
governing, perhaps merging the best of those we already
possess with better elements of the Western model.
An existing
exemplar is the government of the United Arab Emirates
that is grounded in solid tradition but at the same time
has an eye to the future.
The UAE consists of
a Federal government with a Supreme Council that
includes the rules of all seven emirates. Its
constitution allows for specific powers and autonomy
allocated to individual member states. It’s a method of
governance that has worked beautifully ever since it was
devised in 1971, when the UAE was born.
It delivers
spectacular results because, unlike Western democracies
where leaders are changed every few years - and with
them plans and policies - it offers stability and
continuity. Members of the Supreme Council are able to
plan for the long term without fear that their projects
will be disrupted midway.
Importantly, the
rulers of the seven emirates are from families that have
gained the respect of the populace down the generations,
and who truly care about the wellbeing of the people;
all the people. There are no beggars here and no-one
sleeps under bridges or in shop doorways.
Citizens of the UAE
are as free as any who live in so-called Western
democracies, arguably even more so, because with wealth
and security comes personal freedom. In addition, they
have access to the rulers and are able to discuss any
problems they might have face to face.
Where else in the
world are citizens provided with a free plot of land and
an interest-free loan to be paid over a 30-year period
with which to build their homes?
Where else in the
world does the government pay for its youth to benefit
from the best education, either at home or abroad or
finance the sick to travel with his or her family
anywhere in the world to seek suitable medical
treatment?
If the proof is in
the pudding, then all one needs to do is take a look at
the UAE today; a stable country blessed with one of the
highest standards of living on the planet, and one that
suffers little from the Enron or Watergate-type of
corruption that is so prevalent in the US.
People may be
tempted to respond with ‘Yes, but the UAE has oil and it
is this commodity that fuels its economic and social
dynamic’. This isn’t true. There are plenty of
oil-producing countries that cannot boast our
achievements, and, in any case, many of the emirates
derive most of their income from trade, service-based
industries, banking and tourism.
Take my own emirate
Dubai, for example. Its 30-year acceleration from an
arid landscape dotted with oases and fishing villages to
a modern 21st century state on par with any
in the US or Europe is the result of wise leadership
beginning with Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, the
father of the Vice-President of the UAE and Dubai’s
ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
Dubai
is a result of Sheikh Rashid’s dream that was carried
through to fruition by his sons. One can only imagine
what Dubai would look like today if, in 1971, the UAE
had adopted the type of democracy America wants to
thrust upon this part of the world.
For sure, there
would have been no continuous vision because each
elected politician would have tried to impose his own
that would likely have been reversed as soon as his
successor came along.
Admittedly the UAE
model wouldn’t be suitable for all our neighboring
countries, each with its own needs, goals and inherent
challenges. But it stands as proof that there is way
other than the one America wants to forcibly stuff down
our throats
Some Arab nations
and peoples may genuinely welcome democracy. Provided
that this desire comes from the grass roots of society
and will not negatively impact minority groups then it
may be a good thing.
But even more
important than putting handy labels on political
paradigms to suit Western expectations, our nations must
tackle corruption, over-spending and concentrate on
generating wealth for all.
These moves are
especially urgent in poorer Arab nations where up to 30
per cent of their GDP is often spent keeping political
fat cats and their families even fatter or maintaining
the superior living standards of the elite including the
plush lifestyles of retired army officers long after
they have permanently hung their uniforms in the closet.
Apart from
Scandinavia if there is one country that symbolizes a
functioning democracy it is Britain, although we should
remember that this system has taken more than a thousand
years to form and flourish.
British members of
parliament receive a salary like anyone else – currently
standing at £59,095, and a modest pension when then
retire. The Prime Minister’s salary is approximately
double that sum.
They do not walk
around with an expensive retinue of body guards during
their tenure and are certainly not provided with them by
the state once they leave office as is often the case in
the Middle East.
In the final
analysis, we should not throw out the baby with the
bathwater. There is much we can learn from the West when
it comes to good governance, but at the same time we
should be selective.
We may not be ready
or willing to adopt a ‘by the people for the people’
democracy. But with wise and sincere leaderships that
understand that they are the servants of the people and
not the other way around, we can make our nations
strong, prosperous, just and free…and take pride that we
did it our way.
Khalaf Ahmed Al Habtoor | 
