Bush's Tsunami of Freedom

March 2, 2005

A tidal wave of manumission was unleashed on January 30 in Iraq when Iraqis held their first free elections. Negative rhetoric from those who questioned the will of the people there to be free was washed away. Despite dire predictions of chaos and bedlam, Iraqis braved bullets, bombs, and bovine scatology from those desirous to derail the elections and secured their place in the annals of history.

 

Now this tsunami of freedom is sweeping the Middle East. After more than a decade of control, the Syrian-backed government in Lebanon folded its tents amid pro-democracy demonstrations in Beirut. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced that Egypt will hold its first direct, multiparty presidential elections. Free elections have been held in Palestinian territories and, to a limited degree, in Saudi Arabia. “Democracy and freedom are on the march” in the Middle East, the Bush administration announced. Even ordinarily staunch critics are starting to agree.

 

Marc Ginsberg, a Clinton-era ambassador to Morocco, says President Bush “deserves credit” for spreading freedom in the region, according to the Washington Times. No doubt, he says, the Iraqi elections were the catalyst for the remarkable change we're seeing. “That vote had enormous emotional ramifications for the people in that region, who were really taken aback by what they saw," Ginsberg said. "Every Arab newspaper that I'm reading now uses the phrase: 'Why there and not here?'”

 

I'm sure the same crowd who claimed Reagan had nothing to do with the downfall of communism in the Soviet Union will claim Mr. Bush is just the beneficiary of circumstances beyond his control. His predecessors, they will say, paved the way for this apparent shift in the Middle East. No doubt, they'll point to Jimmy Carter as the man who planted the seeds of peace and Bush is merely harvesting the crop. But that's a gross misunderstanding of the circumstances. You see, President Bush realizes something his detractors fail to understand. The United States of America has never been attacked by a democracy. That may sound overly simplistic but it is a fact that cannot be ignored. Mr. Bush understands this. Instead of trying to work within the confines of warring factions and ruling autocracies, as previous presidents have, this president has changed the dynamics of the region. He's planted the seeds, not of peace, but of freedom and neighbors of Iraq are looking over the fence and commenting on how green the grass is.

 

As further evidence of the impact Bush has had on the region, here's what Lebanese Druze opposition leader Walid Jumblatt, a frequent critic of the United States, had to say. Jumblatt is now giving kudos to President Bush. He told the Washington Post, “It's strange for me to say it, but this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq. I was cynical about Iraq. But when I saw the Iraqi people voting three weeks ago, 8 million of them, it was the start of a new Arab world.”

 

A new Arab world. That's the only way we're ever going to see positive change in the Middle East. The despots, kings and tyrants we've been dealing with came to power through violence. They keep their power through violence. The mistake we've historically made is dealing with these people and thinking they would solve their problems without violence.

 

Violence begets more violence. Freedom begets peace. The peaceful are taking the high ground in the Middle East. The terrorists, despots and tyrants are mired in the mud. It will be those who will be drowned when the tsunami of freedom overtakes the Middle East.