Saturday, August 27, 2011

No more 'democracy' projects, please!

Middle East unrest is a never-ending drama, this has been realized. But the Libyan rebellion is a historic moment, no doubt. After tolerating 42 years of Gadafi's authoritarian and suppressing dictatorship, the people of Libya are ready for a change. Great. Before complete transition of power, however, there will be a period of chaos. This is what the western world needs to realize - capitalistic, money-hungry-contracting corporations veiling under interim western governments in this situation will not assure a smooth transition. I think we can look back not too far in history to get evidence for that.
President Obama has played a pretty neutral/NATO led role so far. He has not invested huge amounts of troops, money, or resources yet. However, listening to concerns from members of Congress and Senate it appears that US wants to get more involved. If America gets its hands dirty in yet another country's transitional period with the excuse of providing 'stability', the world will not buy the reason this time. Sure, democracy is a beautiful thing. But it doesn't work everywhere, and it certainly doesn't work the first time around. After four decades of a no-brainer government, Libyans will need some time to sort out their issues and take a unified stand. To control Libya by labeling the current chaos unstable is premature.
The Rebels, backed by NATO with weapons and moral support, are angry and aggressive at the moment. They have finally reached Tripoli after six months and raided Gadafi's compound. They are violent and hungry for change. But this excitement is seen as acts of terror by American experts. NPR reported a story where a Congressman was voicing his concerns about the Rebels and how the US must provide support. I think this is brutally unfair. First we give them ammo for rage, provide them with support and help on the ground, promote their reasons for rebellion, and when they finally succeed, we criticize their methods and question their efforts. There is nothing wrong with NATO nations providing humanitarian and civil support, but proactively getting involved in their unstable politics and key decisions as a method to invest in the country would be cold and calculative.
Americans are well known for their two sided politics and hypocritical foreign policy, but hopefully this time America handles its own domestic issues before taking up another 'democracy' project.

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