February 7, 2005
KINSLEY AMONG THE NEOCONS:
Abdullah Points the Way (LA Times, February 6, 2005)
It's good to see that King Abdullah II of Jordan gets it. Now if only he'd share his insight with the Saudi and Egyptian autocrats. In an interview on CNN two weeks ago, Abdullah said that the January elections in the Palestinian territories and Iraq were part of a "process that the Middle East needs, and one that needs to be taken seriously." He undoubtedly delighted the White House when he said the balloting will "help countries such as Jordan to be able to push the envelope" of democracy.Jordan has a freewheeling parliament and appears positively enlightened compared with its Arab neighbors. But it ensures that the kingdom's press toes the line, and even members of parliament know better than to criticize the monarchy too vociferously. Still, the king deserves credit for his announcement days before the Iraq election that he wants to decentralize political power by creating elected regional councils.
Abdullah and his relative openness contrast sharply with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who is floating the idea that he'll run for a fifth term this year. [...]
There is no reason to think the Middle East is exempt from the wave of political liberalization that has transformed Eastern Europe and much of the rest of the world. Rulers hate to give up power, but they should understand they're better off riding this wave than letting it crash over their heads. The alternative to gradual democratization is certainly not today's status quo.
He means W points the way, of course, but one step at a time... Posted by Orrin Judd at February 7, 2005 12:24 PM
The Jordanian kings have always played it smart because their position is so precarious. They have no oil so the government is dependent on the people for revenue. And they have a large Palestinian population which is always potentially traitorous. They are also surrounded by neighbors who would easily annex them if they could. They've worked with whoever is necessary: the Egyptians, Israelis, Syrians, and the US. Their only misstep was backing Saddam in 1990, and they extricated themselves out of that nicely. This is only one more example of their prescience.
Posted by: Chris Durnell at February 7, 2005 6:34 PMReagan still doesn't get credit from folks like Kinsley for ending the Cold War, so the odds are long that Bush will ever get credit for remaking the Middle East.
Posted by: John at February 7, 2005 8:08 PM