Obama has made his view of Democracy clear in his Cairo, Egypt speech in 2009: “But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.” Obama reiterated these words yesterday. In fact, according to this excerpt Obama’s view of Democracy is no different than any other law abiding American or global citizen. However, Obama’s words and actions are two different things.
When Obama delivered his speech in Cairo, he had one goal in mind – to try to mend U.S. – Muslim relations: “I do so recognizing that change cannot happen overnight. No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have all the complex questions that brought us to this point. Without these ingredients, elections alone do not make true democracy.” Obama also stated: “And I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.” Obama was clearly apologizing for past U.S. behavior for invading Iraq and to a lesser degree for the perceived mistreatment of enemy combatants at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib.
Today, it is becoming apparent that the people of Egypt, and in other Muslim states: Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iran want the same thing we have in the United States – A Democracy. In December, 2010, protests and bloodshed started in Tunisia. The people of Tunisia were tired of the dictatorship rule of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali – who has ruled Tunisia for 23 years. When Ben Ali took office in 1987 he promised a Democracy with free elections to prevent dictatorships. The people of Tunisia have grown tired of all the government corruption, censorship, unemployment, and out of control inflation. Ben Ali has been successfully removed from power and he fled to Saudi Arabia with his family to avoid the wrath of the uprising. Today, many of these protests have spilled over to other Muslim North African nations including Egypt and Algeria. These countries also have the same economic problems that Tunisia has – high unemployment, inflation, corruption, and censorship. These economic and human rights problems are a common denominator in most African and Middle Eastern Muslim nations.
Last year there was also unrest in Iran following their elections, which many thought was plagued by fraud. President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad had to use force to end the protests and prevent a potential coup d’etat. A year earlier, there was a coup in Honduras to remove Manuel Zelaya from power. Zelaya was trying to become a dictator similar to Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez or Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega. The point is during Obama’s presidency there have been many protests, bloodshed, and uprisings by commoners in an effort to forge what we have here in the United States – A Democracy.
What was Obama’s reaction and political position to these protests and uprisings? The Obama administration’s policy towards these people seeking a Democratic state and government has been one of Laissez Faire. Obama in Cairo told the Muslim world he “supports” people’s rights to free, but he has turned his back on them. Yes, we are allies to many of these corrupt nations and governments (mainly because they do not support Muslim extremists), but Obama and liberals alike, consider themselves the party of compassion and doing what is right. If this is true; then why aren’t they supporting these protesters? Sure, there is always a danger these countries can be overtaken by Islamic extremists, but this is a further reason to support pro-democracy protesters – to prevent extremists from gaining control. After all, Obama said he will “support” democracy everywhere.
And let’s not forget while Obama is apologizing to Muslims for past American policies, it is clear that the Muslim people want we have in America – A Democracy. And past American policies in Iraq and Bosnia have shown that corrupt countries ruled by genocidal tyrants can be converted into Democracies. This has not gone unnoticed by the people of Muslim nations ruled by tyrants. Obama and liberals point to all those innocent Iraqi civilians that lost their lives in the war, but thousands of innocent Muslim civilians have lost their lives in protests trying to get their freedom. Freedom and democracy are not earned without bloodshed. The nearly 2 million Americans that have lost lives fighting for our freedom is evidence of this fact.
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