We are now in Iraq for the sole reason of creating a Democracy in the Middle East. Saddam Hussein is out of power. There are no weapons of mass destruction. The Iraqi government is not harboring terrorists. So, the only reason left is for the purpose of nation building, something George W Bush said that he did not believe in during the 2000 presidential election. But, 9/11/2001 changed all that. We are now the world's policemen and nation building is our top priority.
The United States has always said that Democracy is what the world needs. We fought Socialism, Fascism, Communism, and dictatorships (that disagreed with our foreign policy) wielding the big stick of Democracy for all. But, the people don't always select the policy that agrees with the United States.
When Iran elected a Political Party that didn't like the British Oil companies stealing their oil the United States through the CIA sponsored a coup de taut that put a Royal Family in charge of the government. One would think that this would be considered a step backward. When the United States didn't like the socialist policies in the Congo after a democratically elected leader took power the United States sponsored another coup de taut replacing that democratically elected leader with a dictator.
The words on the lips of US leaders has always been "Democracy for all," but the reality of the situation always includes the caveat, "as long as the people agree with us." Democratically elected leaders in Venezuela, Brazil and most recently Bolivia are openly disliked by the current administration. One would think that a little diplomacy could go a long way. One would think that a country that is trying to encourage Democracy would respect the will of the people by respect the leaders that they have chosen. But this open disdain for the leaders the administration doesn't like openly displays the real disregard that the Bush administration has for Democracy. After all, the last two presidential elections were not about Democracy or the will of the people. Instead George W Bush and the people he hired to run his campaign were more concerned with deceiving the American people with lies and fear in order to acquire political power.
With that history, who would expect the Bush administration to respect the victory of Hamas in the Palestinian elections yesterday? Who really thinks that the Bush administration will respect the will of the Palestinian people? After all, the people chose a terrorist group to lead them. But, in the eyes of many people through out the world the American people did the same thing in 2004. The American people chose a leader that did not respect international law and invaded a sovereign country to further his own agenda.
The bottom line here is that the Palestinian people have elected a terrorist group to lead them. The United States of America has been shouting about the strength of Democracy in the Middle East on one hand and they have been shouting about the dangers of terrorism on the other hand. How will the Bush administration choose to handle this dilemma? The only valid way to do this is by educating the Palestinian people with truth. But, as I posted yesterday, we know that people respond to politics in an emotional way, not a rational way. So, how can people be educated with truth to appeal to their emotions? Can the Bush administration keep their Political Party in check and do the right thing? Or, will the radical right force the Bush administration to attack Hamas in some way in an effort to fight terrorism? And, will the American people care or even be aware of the issue of Democracy in the Middle East?