NOBLESSE OBLIGE

Free at last through an Arab-Western joint venture (Rami G. Khouri, The Daily Star, March 2nd, 2005)

The brisk pace of domestic political change towards more freedom and democracy in several parts of the Arab world this week has already triggered a passionate argument about whether this is the result of the American-led invasion of Iraq or is more of a home-grown, indigenous Arab phenomenon. This fascinating and emotional debate is something of a sideshow and a wasteful diversion of energy. We would all be better off to argue less about who is responsible for the fresh democratic impulses in the Arab world, and instead work together more diligently to keep the process moving forward.

The signs of change are blossoming all around, and reflect varying degrees of democratic change due to a variety of local and global reasons. The most dramatic moves in my view are the events in Lebanon, Palestine and Egypt (all of which reflect indigenous forces that were evident well before the U.S. led the troops into Iraq). A powerful, spontaneous Lebanese movement of ordinary citizens and establishment opposition politicians has forced the resignation of Prime Minister Omar Karami and elicited Syria's pledge to pull back its troops from central Lebanon. More significant changes are possible, including a sensible and fair electoral law, clean parliamentary elections in May, a full investigation of the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, further Syrian troop withdrawals, and an end to Damascus' involvement in domestic Lebanese politics.

In Palestine, the elected Parliament last week quashed an attempt by old-style politician Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei to name a new Cabinet of familiar cronies, and forced him to come up with one comprised mainly of qualified technocrats and younger new faces.

In Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak made the surprise announcement that he will ask the Parliament to pass a law allowing for a real presidential election among several competing candidates, instead of the current practice of a lone candidate (himself for the past 24 years) being offered by the single dominant party for a sham national referendum. These are isolated, early, incomplete steps, to be sure, and some of them ultimately will prove to be insignificant. Some, such as the Egyptian president's move, may even be designed to forestall real change, rather than to prompt it. Time will soon tell.

It is clear now, though, that these are historic, important signs of established power structures being compelled to change by the force of will of their own people - people in the streets who risk imprisonment, retributive punishment, or even death by challenging and resisting their prevailing power elite. A threshold of fear has been crossed in all three cases.

At the same time, however, it is fair to acknowledge that the presence of the U.S. and other foreign forces in Iraq also certainly has played a role in focusing the minds of various Arab leaders on their need to change and modernize quickly - partly because of pressures from their own people as well as diplomatic and even military pressures from Western countries and the UN. The balance sheet of Arab political transformation due to indigenous demands or foreign pressures is rather even.

How about if they agree to democratize from Tangiers to Baghdad, we’ll agree that democracy is an indigenous Arab invention and that President Bush just happened to be in the neighborhood when it flowered?