WASHINGTON, 8 August 2003 — US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, from the pages of The Washington Post, advocated yesterday a democratic renaissance in the Middle East similar to that of post World War II in Europe.
Reiterating the anti-terrorist, foreign policy goals of the Bush administration, Rice voiced the hope that by introducing Iraq to democracy a domino effect could be created in the region.
“Much as a democratic Germany became a linchpin of a new Europe that is today whole, free and at peace, so a transformed Iraq can become a key element of a very different Middle East in which the ideologies of hate will not flourish,” she said.
The objectives, Rice said, are bringing stability to the region through a Palestinian-Israeli peace, diminishing what “Arab intellectuals call a political and economic ‘freedom deficit’” and ultimately the terrorist threat.
“In many quarters,” wrote Rice, “a sense of hopelessness provides a fertile ground for ideologies of hatred that persuade people to forsake university educations, careers and families and aspire instead to blow themselves up — taking as many innocent lives with them as possible.”
After reiterating President George W. Bush’s mantra that deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein “posed a threat to the security of the United States and to the world.... pursued, had used and possessed weapons of mass destruction,” Rice said things were now different.
“Today that threat is gone. And with the liberation of Iraq, there is a special opportunity to advance a positive agenda for the Middle East that will strengthen security in the region and throughout the world.
“We are already seeing evidence of a new commitment to forging ahead with peace among Israelis and Palestinians.” Changing the Middle East, which she said comprised 22 countries with a population of 300 million, “will not be easy, and it will take time. “It will require the broad engagement of America, Europe and all free nations working in full partnership with those in the region who share our belief in the power of human freedom.”
