I commented in another diary that when the arab spring started conservatives danced around the idea that maybe the US should continue supporting middle east and african dictators because the US should be more afraid of terrorists taking control of the government that formed after the fall of the dictatorship. To stick with the devil you know, and possibly put into power, rather than taking a chance that the country could become a modern democracy or a failed state. I thought this line of attack against Obama would reemerge in the wake of the attacks in Egypt and Libya. So what do I see when I check out the front page of Yahoo.com?
Ambassador Chris Stevens killed in Libya: Is Arab Spring turning against US?
“The big question for the United States, and it’s only been made more urgent by these events, is how to adjust to a world where [moderate Muslim] governments have paved the way for more extremist elements to wield their influence,” says Patrick Clawson, director of research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in Washington. “It’s not a good dynamic, but it’s not going away and has to be addressed.”
So let me address this question, Obama's policy on the arab spring has been one of the bright spots of his first term. With the delicate touch of a yegg Obama has actively supported the uprising and tipped the battle in favor of the citizens and by not taking a large scale military role in the effort he has blunted any effort to cast the uprising as a product of colonialism. As hard as it is for me to see the suffering coming out of Egypt, Libya, and not Syria, this policy has the highest chance of a beneficial outcome not only for the citizens of these countries but citizens of the US.
For me it's a no brainer. You have to take a chance at these countries becoming modern democracies rather than letting them languish under the yolk of a dictator, how ever friendly he appears to be to the US. Even if they slip under the boot of a islamic dictatorship that is really no different than what we had before, only this time we won't be sending them millions or billions in military aid to keep the dictatorship privately or publicly in our pocket. In addition when the someone from our government claims that the US supports the freedom of every person on the planet they won't have to come up with a hedge to align that statement with our support for dictators who oppress their citizens.
In case you are wondering the The Washington Institute For Near East Policy is a DC think tank started by a former AIPAC staffer and, according to wikipedia, has had all around wonderful people like Henry Kissenger, Richard Perle, Lawrence Eagleburger, and Iran-Contra alum Bob McFarlane on its board of advisors. This murderers row of foreign policy disaster clowns silences my confirmation bias alarm.
As always do yourself a favor and don't read the comments from Yahoo users, it's a vile cesspool of hatred and ignorance.