If you are like me, something in you snaps when confronted with political hypocrisy of the holier-than-thou type. The Europeans, masters in this, are at it again. They declared that they are “against imposing democratic change” as outlined by the American plan. Rather strange, coming from those who have imposed just about everything from petty dictators to clan-run countries for almost a century now.
The British, the French, the Germans and even the Italians have interfered with the domestic politics of countries around the world without any scruple or as much as the blinking of an eye. They helped set up governments, supported the few against the many, armed the ruthless and disregarded the masses. History books are full of such facts and unsavory goings-on. Are we seeing a change of heart or are the Europeans simply uncomfortable that someone else is doing it this time?
I am no apologist for the Americans nor do they need me to be so. But the truth remains that the Europeans courted elites throughout their history while the Americans went for multitudes. Vaunted universities like Oxford and Cambridge accepted sons and daughters of the elite from the Third World, regardless of academic prowess. They looked to “cultivate” someone who might hold power one day. It worked. Just look at India.
America meanwhile is more egalitarian. Universities in the US were open to all and not just the elite. When the Americans found particularly good students, they tried to keep them instead of sending them back home. Sure enough, America inherited from the Europeans a world replete with dictators and struggled to find a way out. They even tried their hand at stifling democracy as happened in Chile during the Cold War. But you could tell they were amateurs at the game.
Even Vietnam was nothing more than a nasty inheritance from the French coupled with a bizarre turn of historical events as they found themselves pitted against communism. US President George W. Bush has come up with a splendid idea about democracy in the Middle East. It is ethically sound, a rarity in the world of politics. And for all his faults, the man has firm beliefs and I believe this is one of them. His erstwhile ally in war, Tony Blair, is not lending his support in peace. So never mind Jacques Chirac and his sleazy ex-prime minister.
The deal is obvious: the Europeans would rather deal with the devil they know because they are sure that what is coming will turn to McDonalds and Hollywood rather than Paris or London. On the other hand, the elite in this region are yapping about their refusal of democracy imposed from the “outside.”
To my mind, democracy is the same everywhere. It also means that American-style democracy would probably put an end to hereditary jobs in a republic and limit their terms in office. Now what is wrong with that? We screamed “Foul” when America supported dictators so shouldn’t we now cheer if they have reconsidered and learned from mistakes Europeans made?
