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01/24/2008
Bush on the Middle East
The following was put forward as being President Bush’s
keynote speech on his recent trip to the Middle East. I found it
lacking, and there were few listeners. Nonetheless, I throw it out
there.
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President George W. Bush, Jan. 13, 2008 from Abu Dhabi
Freedom in the Middle East
[Excerpts]
A great new era is unfolding before us. This new era is founded
on the equality of all people before God. This new era is being
built with the understanding that power is a trust that must be
exercised with the consent of the governed – and deliver equal
justice under the law. And this new era offers hope for the
millions across the Middle East who yearn for a future of peace
and progress and opportunity.
Here in Abu Dhabi, we see clearly the outlines of this future
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. You have held historic elections for the Federal National
Council. You have shown the world a model of a Muslim state
that is tolerant toward people of other faiths. I’m proud to stand
in a nation where the people have an opportunity to build a better
future for themselves and their families.
In my country, we speak of these developments as the advance of
freedom. Others may call it the advance of justice. Yet
whatever term we use, the ideal is the same. In a free and just
society, every person is treated with dignity. In a free and just
society, leaders are accountable to those they govern. And in a
free and just society, individuals can rise as far as their talents
and hard work will take them.
For decades, the people of this region saw their desire for liberty
and justice denied at home and dismissed abroad in the name of
stability. Today your aspirations are threatened by violent
extremists who murder the innocent in pursuit of power. These
extremists have hijacked the noble religion of Islam, and seek to
impose their totalitarian ideology on millions. They hate
freedom and they hate democracy – because it fosters religious
tolerance and allows people to chart their own future. They hate
your government because it does not share their dark vision.
They hate the United States because they know we stand with
you in opposition to their brutal ambitions. And everywhere they
go, they use murder and fear to foment instability to advance
their aims.
One cause of instability is the extremists supported and
embodied by the regime that sits in Tehran. Iran is today the
world’s leading state sponsor of terror. It sends hundreds of
millions of dollars to extremists around the world – while its own
people face repression and economic hardship at home. It
undermines Lebanese hopes for peace by arming and aiding the
terrorist group Hizbullah. It subverts the hopes for peace in other
parts of the region by funding terrorist groups like Hamas and the
Palestine Islamic Jihad. It sends arms to the Taliban in
Afghanistan and Shia militants in Iraq. It seeks to intimidate its
neighbors with ballistic missiles and bellicose rhetoric. And
finally, it defies the United Nations and destabilizes the region by
refusing to be open and transparent about its nuclear programs
and ambitions. Iran’s actions threaten the security of nations
everywhere. 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.
The other major cause of instability is the extremists embodied
by al Qaeda and its affiliates. On September 11, 2001, al Qaeda
murdered nearly 3,000 people on America’s home soil. Some of
the victims that day were innocent Muslims. And since then, al
Qaeda and its allies have killed many more Muslims here in the
Middle East – including women and children. In Afghanistan
under the Taliban, in Iraq’s Anbar Province, they ruled by
intimidation and murder. Their goal is to impose that same dark
rule across the Middle East. So they seek to topple your
governments, acquire weapons of mass destruction, and drive a
wedge between the people of the United States and the people of
the Middle East. And they will fail. The United States joins you
in your commitment to the freedom and security of this region –
and we will not abandon you to terrorists or extremists.
The fight against the forces of extremism is the great ideological
struggle of our time. And in this fight, our nations have a
weapon more powerful than bombs or bullets. It is the desire for
freedom and justice written into our hearts by Almighty God –
and no terrorist or tyrant can take that away. We see this desire
in the 12 million Iraqis who dipped their fingers in purple ink as
they voted in defiance of al Qaeda. We see the desire in the
Palestinians who elected a President committed to peace and
reconciliation. We see this desire in the thousands of Lebanese
whose protests helped rid their country of a foreign occupier.
And we see this desire in the brave dissidents and journalists who
speak out against terror and oppression and injustice. We see
this desire in the brave dissidents and journalists who speak out
against terror and oppression and injustice. We see this desire in
the ordinary people across the Middle East, who are sick of
violence, who are sick of corruption, sick of empty promises –
and who choose a free future whenever they are given a chance.
We also see leaders across this region beginning to respond to
the desires of their people – and take the steps that will help
enhance the stability and prosperity of their nations. The recent
elections to your Federal National Council represent the first part
of a larger reform designed to make your government more
modern and more representative. Algeria held its first
competitive presidential elections. Kuwait held elections in
which women were allowed to vote and hold office for the first
time. Citizens have voted in municipal elections in Saudi
Arabia, in competitive parliamentary elections in Jordan and
Morocco and Bahrain, and in a multiparty presidential election in
Yemen. Across the world, the majority of Muslim people live in
a free and democratic society – and the people of the Middle East
must continue to work for the day where that is also true of the
lands that Islam first called home.
As freedom and justice advance in this part of the world,
elections are important, but they’re only a start. Free and just
societies require strong civic institutions, such as houses of
worship, universities, professional associations, local
governments and community groups. Free and just societies
require habits of self-government that contribute to the rule of
law. And free and just societies ultimately depend on the
emergence of an engaged public whose citizens feel they have a
real stake in their nation’s future. All these developments
contribute to the bond between government and the governed,
between a people and their nation.
Free and just societies also create opportunities for their citizens.
This opportunity begins with economic growth. In any society,
the greatest resource is not the oil in the ground or the minerals
beneath the soil. It is the skills and talents of the people. Or as
one Nobel wining economist calls this human capital. Across
this region, you have an abundance of human capital – in the
men and women who are your citizens. By strengthening your
education systems and opening your economies, you will unlock
their potential, create vibrant and entrepreneurial societies, and
usher in a new era where people have confidence that tomorrow
will bring more opportunities than today .
Today America is using its influence to foster peace and
reconciliation in the Holy Land. The Israelis have raised a
thriving modern society out of rocky soil, and want to live their
lives in freedom and security at home and at peace with their
neighbors. The Palestinian people aspire to build a nation of
their own – where they can live in dignity and realize their
dreams. Today Israelis and Palestinians each understand that the
only way to realize their own goals is by helping one another. In
other words, an independent, viable, democratic, and peaceful
Palestinian state is more than the dream of the Palestinians. It’s
also the best guarantee for peace for all its neighbors – and the
Israelis understand this. Leaders on both sides still have many
tough decisions ahead, and they will need to back these decisions
with real commitments. But the time has come for a Holy Land
where Palestinian and Israeli live together in peace.
America will do our part. In Annapolis in November, the United
States invited the Israelis and the Palestinians, and other
members of the international community to come to a
conference. And I appreciate the fact that your country sent a
delegate. It was a remarkable thing to see a Palestinian President
and an Israeli Prime Minister address a roomful of Arab leaders
together. And the result was that the Palestinians and Israelis
launched negotiations for the establishment of a Palestinian state
and a broader peace.
The talks are just beginning, and our hopes are high. At the
beginning of my trip, I met with both Israeli and Palestinian
leaders. I was impressed by their commitment to move forward.
And by supporting the legitimate aspirations of both sides, we
will encourage reconciliation between the Israeli and Palestinian
people, foster reconciliation between Israelis and Arabs, and
build a foundation for lasting peace that will contribute to the
security of every state in the Gulf.
And as you build a Middle East growing in peace and prosperity,
the United States will be your partner. As we have done in
places from Asia to Europe, we have forged new relationships
with friends and allies designed to help you protect your people
and your borders. As we have done in places from Asia to
Europe, we’re helping you bring your economies into the global
market. And as we have done in places from Asia to Europe, we
have launched programs designed to help you promote economic
reform and educational opportunity and political participation .
To the leaders across the Middle East who are fighting the
extremists: The United States will stand with you as you confront
the terrorists and radicals. We urge you to join us in committing
the resources to help the Palestinians build the institutions of a
free society. Help the citizens of Lebanon preserve their
government and their sovereignty in the face of outside pressure
from their neighbors. Show the Iraqis that you support them in
their effort to build a more hopeful nation. And as you do these
things, the best way to defeat the extremists in your midst is by
opening your societies, and trusting in your people, and giving
them a voice in their nation.
And finally, to the people of the Middle East: We hear your cries
for justice. We share your desire for a free and prosperous future.
And as you struggle to find your voice and make your way in this
world, the United States will stand with you.
For most of the world, there’s no greater symbol of America than
the Statue of Liberty. It was designed by a man who traveled
widely in this part of the world – and who had originally
envisioned his woman bearing a torch as standing over the Suez
Canal. Ultimately, of course, it was erected in New York
Harbor, where it has been an inspiration to generations of
immigrants. One of these immigrants was a poet-writer named
Ameen Rihani. Gazing at her lamp held high, he wondered
whether her sister might be erected in the lands of his Arab
forefathers. Here is how he put it: “When will you turn your face
toward the East, oh Liberty?”
My friends, a future of liberty stands before you. It is your right.
It is your dream. And it is your destiny.
---
So what was the reaction to President Bush’s speech? A giant
yawn. Even as Bush was attempting to rally the region against
Iran, some of the Persian Gulf nations were distancing
themselves from the White House while reaching out to Tehran.
Kuwait’s foreign minister, for example, said “Iran is our friend.”
Last month, the heretofore anti-Tehran Gulf Cooperation Council
invited Iran’s president to their meeting for the first time.
I also have to note that Bush cites Lebanon as a success, yet it is
far from one because at the nation’s biggest moment of need,
following the expulsion of the Syrian army in 2005, the U.S.
chose to ignore the fledgling democracy, allowing Hizbullah and
the anti-U.S. forces to regain their footing.
The U.S. just isn’t seen as an honest broker in the region. For
example, Israel has continued to defy the ‘roadmap’ in building
settlements as Washington has looked the other way and it
should surprise no one that the tit-for-tat then continues.
If the above speech was designed to be a watershed moment for
the Bush presidency, it fell far short.
Hot Spots returns Jan. 31.
Brian Trumbore
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