Trying to sell democracy

OPINION:

After spending the last few days trying to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli dispute, President Bush continued his Middle East tour, this time flaunting democracy to the oil-rich Gulf countries the way traders in this business-minded society flaunt their wares along the Dubai waterfront or in the old market place in Abu Dhabi.

Sunday’s speech, delivered by Mr. Bush in Abu Dhabi, was the highlight of his six-nation, eight-day Middle East tour. It was intended to be a keynote speech where the president outlined his vision for the Middle East.

Though addressing a carefully selected audience of businessmen, government officials, academics and students, Mr. Bush was, in fact, talking to all the people of the Middle East, reminding them of what he had previously said many times — that “democracy is the only system of government that yields peace and stability.”

Those words might go down well with many people in the region but it’s certainly not something his hosts — princes and kings, some of them absolute rulers — would have enjoyed hearing.

Being careful not to upset any of the leaders he is trying to recruit for an eventual political or even military showdown with Iran, Mr. Bush avoided naming individual countries or rulers — except of course for Iran. He chided regional leaders for holding back on democratization.

“You cannot build trust when you hold an election where opposition candidates find themselves harassed and in prison,” he said. “You cannot expect people to believe in the promise of a better future when they are jailed for peacefully petitioning their government.

“And you cannot stand up a modern confident nation when you do not allow people to voice their legitimate criticisms.”

He could in fact have been addressing any of the Middle East’s leaders, including his next two hosts: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia or President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.

Human rights groups have repeatedly criticized Egypt for its heavy-handed approach in dealing with opposition groups demanding political change, fair elections and a greater say in their government. Mr. Mubarak tends to reply to these demands by sending out riot police armed with batons.

But if Mr. Bush was discreet in his address to the Arab leaders, the gloves came off when it came to talking about Iran, situated just some 150 miles from where he stood, across the clear blue waters of the Gulf, of which even the name is disputed. The Arabs tend to call it the Arabian Gulf and Iran refers to it as the Persian Gulf.

Mr. Bush called Iran “the world’s leading state sponsor of terror” and accused Tehran of sending hundreds of millions of dollars to extremists around the world.

“Iran’s actions threaten the security of nations everywhere,” he said. “So the United States is strengthening our longstanding security commitments with our friends in the Gulf and rallying friends around the world to confront this danger before it is too late.”

Gulf states have mixed feelings about Iran. On the one hand the oil-rich Gulf states —Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman — have always looked at their Persian neighbor with trepidation. That fear may have somewhat grown in recent years since Iran has been trying repeatedly to export its Islamic revolution. Additionally, the notion of a nuclear-armed Iran does nothing to alleviate this fear.

But on the other hand, Iran has always been one of the Gulf countries’ primary trading partners. During his visit to Dubai Monday, where he was only 100 miles away from Iran, if Mr. Bush had been able to stroll along the Dubai waterfront, he would have seen the scores of dhows loaded with merchandise going to and coming from Iran. Just as they have for the last several centuries.

As for the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Bush described it as “a model Muslim state that is tolerant toward people of other faiths.” Addressing the leaders of Abu Dhabi, he said: “You have succeeded in building a prosperous society out of the desert. You have opened your doors to the world economy. You have encouraged women to contribute to the development of your nation — and they have occupied some of your highest ministerial posts.

“And just as our commitment to Asia helped people there secure their freedom and prosperity, our commitment to the Middle East will help you achieve yours.” he said.

But just as the leaders in the region heard from Mr. Bush talk about democratization, which they did not necessarily appreciate, he has heard from them talk about Iran that he in turn has not appreciated. What Mr. Bush has heard from Iran’s neighbors is to tone down the rhetoric and avoid a confrontation that would drag the entire region into mayhem.

Claude Salhani is editor of the Middle East Times.