Hypocrisy

The following excerpt is taken from an op-ed piece I read on Al Jazeera's website today. Written by a woman educated at the University of London, and by no means a radical, I feel it is quite representative of how a large portion of the Arab World views the democratic rhetoric from George Bush.

"Only the terminally naive and politically blind may, indeed, be duped by the heroic rhetoric of bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq and the region. If anything, the US is widely regarded by the majority in the Middle East as a crucial obstacle in their struggle for freedom from oppression. It is interesting that the most despotic states in the Middle East region are those who have the closest ties with the US and its Western allies."

Although I don't entirely agree with what the author says, if we are to ever shed the grave skepticism surrounding American intentions in the Middle East, then we must begin to act upon our “heroic rhetoric.” We must put real pressure on Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uzbekistan, and many of our other allies that engage in the repression of democracy.

Saudi Arabia, undeniably our closet Arab ally, routinely imprisons, tortures, and murders political dissidents, denying any form of due process. The Government prohibits or restricts freedom of speech, the press, assembly, association, religion, and movement. Citizens have neither the right nor the legal means to change their government. Saudi Arabia has been chastised time and time again for grave human rights violations.

If democratic freedom is truly what we seek, then I wonder if we will threaten Saudi Arabia with sanctions, air strikes, or invasion. Will we launch a preemptive war against them if they fail to comply with our version of democratization? Though many in the U.S. are blind to our hypocrisy, all in the Middle East see through our transparent goals. This hypocrisy is exactly why so many Arabs view America as an imperial aggressor rather than a liberating force. I do believe that Bush is sincere when he says he wants to promote democracy in the middle east, and his goal is a noble one; however, President Bush’s selective interpretation in the implementation of his doctrine will continue to draw criticism from the world community, until we stop giving preferential treatment to those countries that benefit us.