With the success of the militant group Hamas in Palestine’s elections last week, the Bush administration is confronted with a paradoxical situation: President Bush has based much of his foreign policy on the need to spread freedom and democracy throughout the Earth, but the U.S. officially views Hamas as a terrorist organization.
In response to Hamas’ election victory, Bush said Thursday the U.S. will not deal with the group as long as it seeks to vanquish Israel.
“If your platform is the destruction of Israel it means you’re not a partner in peace,” the president said, according to The Associated Press.
Contrast that statement with part of Bush’s November 2003 speech at the 20th Anniversary of the National Endowment for Democracy: “For the Palestinian people, the only path to independence and dignity and progress is the path of democracy. And the Palestinian leaders who block and undermine democratic reform, and feed hatred and encourage violence are not leaders at all. They’re the main obstacles to peace, and to the success of the Palestinian people.”
Notice how he lumps “democracy,” “peace” and “success” together. Palestine is arguably a democracy, but Hamas’ view of success is destruction of Israel, not peace.
Bush’s problem lies in his confusion between the concepts of “liberty” and “democracy.” Bush sees democracy as a type of government created and validated by a people that gives them certain human rights and liberties – Western values dating to Hobbes and Locke. But democracy, as Hamas’ win demonstrates, can be a system used to elect a government with non-Western values. In this case, Hamas wants Israel gone and has used violence toward that end.
Although Bush is correct in asserting more democracies have arisen since the fall of fascism and Communism in the latter half of the 20th century, his assumption that democracies are peace-loving and benevolent is a non sequitur.
We don’t disagree with the White House’s stance against Hamas. Palestinians used a democratic process and made a choice to elect Hamas last week, but choices have consequences, as New York Times columnist David Brooks said Friday. To avoid making our nation appear hypocritical, Bush needs to revise his stance to reflect his true view: That democracy is well and good as long as a nation’s people vote for a government we agree with.
He also needs to analyze our own actions in Iraq and elsewhere to see whether U.S.
attempts to spread democracy will lead the world to success and peace. We don’t think the U.S. has the resources or the right to take such unilateral liberties.
Bush should rethink his hypocritical viewpoint
Daily Emerald
January 29, 2006
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