The New Middle East?

The ‘New Middle East’ Bush Is Resisting

The Arab people do not respect the ruling regimes, perceiving them to be autocratic, corrupt and inept. They are, at best, ambivalent about the fanatical Islamists of the bin Laden variety. More mainstream Islamists with broad support, developed civic dispositions and services to provide are the most likely actors in building a new Middle East. In fact, they are already doing so through the Justice and Development Party in Turkey, the similarly named PJD in Morocco, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Hamas in Palestine and, yes, Hezbollah in Lebanon.

These groups, parties and movements are not inimical to democracy. They have accepted electoral systems and practiced electoral politics, probably too well for Washington’s taste. Whether we like it or not, these are the facts. The rest of the Western world must come to grips with the new reality, even if the U.S. president and his secretary of state continue to reject the new offspring of their own policies.

Fair enough.

Related posts:

1. The Spirit of Resistance
2. BBC NEWS | Middle East | Saddam’s nephew jailed for life
3. Is The Bush Administration Getting What It Wants In Wider Middle East?
4. George Bush's Crusading Scorecard (2001-2007) – Middle East Online
5. FT.com / World / Middle East & Africa – Saudi campaign to dissuade radicals from joining jihad