My Newz 'n Ideas

It is my intent to express my opinion and to discuss current events. Feel free to make suggestions to fields you would like to see covered, and I will consider them. Please leave your name with comments. Thank you. Arabic: عربي.

Friday, December 08, 2006

Help the Middle Eastern Dissidents

This is a remarkable piece which Winston from Spirit of Man, The has emailed to me. This article is about how the USA should form our foreign policy towards Middle Eastern dissidents, reformists and liberal democracy seekers.
What should Washington’s role be? Support for dissent and reform is an investment. Some investments succeed; some fail. Rather than condescend to decide what is good or bad for reformers in the Middle East, U.S. policymakers should establish metrics to measure the success of their investment. In the case of the Ibn Khaldun Center, the wisdom of the National Endowment for Democracy’s support is clear. The value of labor organizations in Iran, bloggers in Tunisia, and anti-militia activists in Lebanon should be equally clear. Taint is often a far greater impediment in the mind of Washington policymakers than it is among authentic dissidents, reformers, and liberal activists in the streets of the Middle East. Read the entire article.
They are very brave in their convinctions, and the whole world remains silent. I say, "Shame on you!" Have you forgotten to hate dictators and torturers, you on the Left?

President Bush, I expect better and more from you. Please open your eyes, shut out the noise of these so-called commie protesters, and get with it. Raise your voice, cut off other governments money, praise those brave men, demand the release of the dissidents they rearrested after they felt you were weak. Do not let this stand, or I will not forgive you. It is up to you to help these people. Now. If you do not, then who?

(This article in quotes was written by Michael Rubin at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.)