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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dennis O'Bell who wrote (124775)	2/17/2004 3:58:00 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

I haven't really read up on the history of Saudi Arabia, but from what he was saying, it is clear that the country has undergone more profound changes in the last 50 years than any other country on earth as a result of US involvement and guidance in construction of their oil industry. I'm not sure about that.. Look at the experience of S. Korea as an example. And it's currently a democracy. The primary problem in Saudi Arabia is that we permitted ourselves to compromise our interests by becoming so economically dependent upon one particular such regime (or any number of non-democratic regimes) and then finding our foreign policy held captive to regional turmoil. But that's the situation we find ourselves in, and we have to deal with that reality. And while it's all well and good to advocate making the US more energy independent, no side seems to have presented a viable plan for accomplishing that without making our nation less competitive in the global marketplace. Thus, we're doing what should have been done decades ago.. Requiring those nations who expect and enjoy our protection to open up and democratize their societies and economic systems. We can't settle for the traditional forms of mercantilist and bureaucratic capitalism that has plagued the undeveloped world for so many years. It's important to attempt to create the necessary legal and socio-political structures that will permit entrepreneurial capitalism to manifest itself in these societies. (thanks for Hernando De Soto for assisting me in formalizing some of these thoughts). Hawk