W'S CALL FOR REVOLUTION
NEW YORK POST
Editorial
September 20, 2006
President Bush's address to the U.N. General Assembly yesterday wasn't just a speech to a gathering of diplomats, but a clear challenge to the people of the Middle East to rise up, embrace the U.S.-led drive toward democratization and secure their rights to freedom and prosperity.
Bush didn't voice it out loud, but it was clear what he was suggesting: revolution.
Hear, hear.
No, this doesn't necessarily mean violent overthrow; Lebanon's Cedar Revolution, after all, was largely peaceful.
In the end, though, that may be what it takes.
For now, Bush called on the people of the Middle East to resist the tyranny of their leaders, take the bull by the horns and act boldy to better their own lives.
For much of his 21-minute talk, he went over the heads of the dignitaries and spoke directly to the citizens of these nations.
Surely, those poised to gain most from meaningful change in the region - that is, the citizens who live there - have a duty to support, even lead, the transition.
And because America and other nations would gain, as well, Washington and other capitals will stand with these folks and help lift the yoke of oppression and corruption from their necks.
In truth, the West needs these people.
Tyranny runs deep in the Middle East, where cynical leaders suppress the populations of nearly every nation. Indeed, most rulers tolerate, even back, extremism as a means to maintain their own power.
That kind of tactic may explain the rants by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In his own U.N. speech last night, Ahmadinejad played Thomas Jefferson, insisting all citizens were created equal. He defended the "oppressed" and claimed his nuke program was peaceful.
But he slammed the United States (if not always by name) for "trampling the rights of nations" and other sins.
Even as he has called for Israel to be wiped off the map - and as his nation aids terror, flouts international law and denies the rights of its own people.
For the West to stamp out terror, entire regimes, political structures and even cultural norms must change - and that will require the active participation of the region's residents.
Bush clearly understands the extent of the challenge - and the ramifications of his ideas. That was evident in how he answered critics, on Capitol Hill and abroad, who claim his push for a free and democratic Middle East has done little more than destabilize the region.
"This argument rests on a false assumption - that the Middle East was stable to begin with," he said. "The reality is that the stability we thought we saw in the Middle East was a mirage."
After all, 9/11 and the raging Islamist jihad over the past years is in large part a product of the decades of "stability" his critics so admire.
Bush offered hope to the people of two nations in particular: Iran and Syria.
He emphasized the benefits of "a free and just Middle East, where the extremists are marginalized by millions of citizens in control of their own destinies."
Nor did he hesitate to bluntly tell extremist governments just what is expected of them. Like Hamas in the Palestinian Authority: "Abandon terror, recognize Israel's right to exist, honor agreements and work for peace."
The international community must make a choice, as well: "Will we support the moderates and reformers who are working for change in the Middle East - or will we yield the future to the terrorists and extremists?"
So, is Bush's plan working?
Based on the accomplishments he cited, there's reason for hope.
Bush itemized budding signs of democracy in: Afghanistan, Iraq, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Yemen, Egypt and elsewhere.
No one should think, of course, that U.S. policy can afford to rely exclusively on revolutionary impulses throughout the Middle East. The threat from Iran, for example, may well one day require outside military intervention.
As do Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon right now. And insurgents in Iraq. And the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
But "ordinary citizens" of the Middle East surely have a key role to play, too.
It's time for them to step up.
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