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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (80579)	10/25/2004 1:55:36 PM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793879

International Election Nerves By Bill - INDC Journal Americans aren't the only ones that are tense about this election: Arabs Worried About the Impact of `Second US Civil War' Amir Taheri, Arab News JEDDAH, 25 October 2004 - Normally it is Washington that worries about stability in Arab countries. These days, however, there is much official nail biting in Arab capitals over the threat of instability in the United States. "What we are witnessing in the United States is their second civil war," says an Arab diplomat posted to Washington. "The difference is that this war is waged in the media, in churches, on the hustings, and inside many American homes." That next week's presidential election is the closest in US history seems certain. What is causing concern in Arab and other capitals is that the intense passions unleashed by both sides could provoke instability and violence regardless of who wins. Arab diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, claim that the Democrats, many of whom believe their party was robbed of victory in 2000, are determined to fight hard to dislodge President George W. Bush from the White House. Fears that the "American street" might explode, in the fashion often attributed to the "Arab street," may well be exaggerated. But the possibility of US government becoming paralyzed for weeks, if not months, as a result of disputes over election results cannot be discounted. ... "The prospect of the US being unable to take urgent decisions for months cannot be taken lightly," suggests an Arab diplomat. "Such paralysis could be dangerous in our region where the situation remains volatile. The war in Iraq, the dispute over Iran's nuclear ambitions, the UN fight with Syria over Lebanon, and the Israeli plan to withdraw from Gaza cannot be put on the backburner for months." The poisonous nature of America's political environment has consequences beyond who obtains power in January, not the least of which is setting an example for the fledgling Democracy of our new allies in Iraq.