The US administration has always called for the spread of democracy across the globe and exhorted all to respect this system of governance.
But the real face of democracy, which the US advocates, has come to the surface when the Dubai Ports World recently bagged a deal for the management of six US ports through meticulous legal rigmarole based on principles accepted by the international community.
It is illustrative to note what the US has done in this case. The US Congress rejected the deal and the administration scrapped it under a number of lame excuses. The technical side was the ruse employed by Congress to reject the deal.
But this was proved to be baseless, as it was confirmed that the technical side of this deal was proper and that the Dubai Ports World has all the required qualifications for the efficient management of the six US ports.
After the technical pretext was debunked threadbare, the US Congress put up another argument that it knew would hit the funny bone of American public. It said that the management of the US ports by a foreign company would put America’s security at risk; besides, the US interests should get top priority in any deal made by it.
Another instance where the real face of the US democracy was in evidence was during the recent Palestinian elections when the Hamas movement triumphed and moved to form the government. The world understood and recognized the fact that the Palestinian people have full confidence in Hamas as the latter has come to power through fair and free elections.
The entire world has accepted the fact that Hamas has become the legal representative of the Palestinian people, but the US administration has refused to deal with the Hamas movement in a clear challenge to the will of the people who elected Hamas through an orderly and just democratic process. Such dubious behavior by the US administration throughout its history brings to light the real face of democracy that the US has been postulating for long.
Democracy is of paramount importance as long as it fosters American interests. But the moment it happens to go against the US interests, democracy and all principles stemming from it are thrown to the winds and naked power dominates the scene.
True democracy entails respect for the opinion of others and commitment to international laws. As everybody knows, the US is keen to issue clarion calls for democracy in the international forums and on all relevant occasions.
But such calls are intended to project America as a peacekeeper who is keen on keeping the peace and safeguarding human rights of people worldwide. In point of fact, all such calls for democracy, peace and human rights would be thrown into the trash bin for the sake of US interests.
The US principle runs like this: The world has to commit to the kind of democracy which the US administration desires, a democracy which would see with American eyes and think with American minds to receive the blessings of the US administration. But when the US interests are at risk, the administration bares its fangs, unveils its real face, and of course, doesn’t care a fig about democracy.
Essa bin Mohammed Al-Zedjali is editor in chief of The Times of Oman.
