Tempus Fugit

Some brave words were spoken by Condoleezza Rice in Cairo:

In our world today, a growing number of men and women are securing their liberty.

And as these people gain the power to choose, they are creating democratic governments in order to protect their natural rights.

We should all look to a future when every government respects the will of its citizens — because the ideal of democracy is universal.

For 60 years, my country, the United States, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in this region here in the Middle East — and we achieved neither.

Now, we are taking a different course. We are supporting the democratic aspirations of all people.

As President Bush said in his Second Inaugural Address: “America will not impose our style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, to attain their own freedom, and to make their own way.”

We know these advances will not come easily, or all at once.

We know that different societies will find forms of democracy that work for them.

When we talk about democracy, though, we are referring to governments that protect certain basic rights for all their citizens — among these, the right to speak freely. The right to associate. The right to worship as you wish. The freedom to educate your children — boys and girls. And freedom from the midnight knock of the secret police.

Securing these rights is the hope of every citizen, and the duty of every government.

In my own country, the progress of democracy has been long and difficult. And given our history, the United States has no cause for false pride and we have every reason for humility.

USINFO: Rice Urges Democratic Change in the Middle East

I think the admission that our previous Middle East policy was flawed is important, but is America ready to make good on a new pro-democracy policy? With Afghanistan and Iraq, yes. With Iran and Syria, yes, most definitely. But what of Saudi Arabia? We tolerate the horrifying human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia because they supply us with a good 18% of our oil. If you look at the costs/benefits of helping to bring about a democracy in Saudi Arabia, the costs are astronomical in the short run and the benefits won’t be seen for quite a while. Put yourself in the President’s shoes. Iran, Syria, or Saudi Arabia? The majority of the 9/11 terrorists were Saudis. Saudi Arabia is arguably the biggest problem in the region. And no one will touch the issue with a 10-foot pole.

If we are truly interested in the long term stability of the region and the ideal that all people should have a say in their own government, we must be willing to hold to that ideal even when it is not in our best short-term intersts. Rice’s words are inspiring, and true. But does anyone have the will to make her ideals a reality?