By J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Apr 18, 2005
It started with Operation Iraqi Freedom a little over two years ago. Now the freedom spread continues.
The democracy planting dream was initiated by the United States President George W. Bush. US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld oversaw the three-week-win war in New Iraq. Since then, other countries have reached out to plant a democracy. Previous despots are now bending in the direction of the populace liberty.
According to Scott Wilson and Daniel Williams in today’s Washington Post Foreign Service report, "Advocates for democracy begin to taste success after years of fruitless effort. New power rises across Mideast."
In Beirut, for instance, planners for democracy informally met some time ago; but their blueprints appeared to go nowhere fast. They wanted to bring closure to Syrian political domination. These Lebanese were hope-filled but to some they appeared but illusionists of the finest order.
Then came the slaying of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. That broke the streets out into swaying mobs. "Independence 05" banners streamed across the sky, over heads and into hearts, lighting freedom fires. Iraq had its freedom start. Why not Lebanese freedom established?
It was the "Arab worlds democratic spring. The photogenic protests were the result of the rising power of a network of political reform movements in the Arab world, organized by young, Westernized and technology-savvy activists who had been attacking the rigid underpinnings of their closed societies for years without much success. Now, (freedom carriers) were seeing results. The Martyrs' Square protests helped trigger the fall of the Lebanese government and force Syria to pull its army and intelligence agents out of Lebanon, a stunning retreat.
"’No one will be able to deny that the people have finally forced an Arab government to leave,’ said Wael Abou Faour, a young Druze Muslim political leader who helped draft the media strategy. ‘Syriais out, the security regime is collapsing and reconciliation is a part of every Lebanese mind."
Grassroots power is spreading. Modern means of communication feeds the spread. Young minds intent on throwing off dictators’ crush are marching forth, some cautiously, nevertheless, they march.
All the while the most powerful nation on Earth continues to encourage liberties worldwide. Instead of seeking to overtake other countries, America strives to uplift humanity. This, while Democrats have sought to cut the President off at the knees and European heads of state lagged in their egocentricity, went forward nevertheless. The hunger for liberty is a powerful force. America’s Bush administration matched that hunger with enthusiasm for democracy planters wherever.
Therefore, grassroots citizens in Egypt and Saudi Arabia are demanding freedom air to breathe every morning upon awakening. If it’s good enough for the Americans, why not good enough for every mortal alive on the planet? Therefore, the people take to the streets. They demand liberty for all. The United Statespresent White House leadership gives sincere applause to every move forward.
"Bush's message has offered a measure of comfort to street activists, who believe that crackdowns will be harder to carry out now that the United States is watching," the Washington Post reports.
Another encouragement is the Ukraine’s potent Orange Revolution. The yield is a democracy in the making with full backing from the Oval Office. The Ukraine victory for freedom ensconced stirred hopes in Beirut and Bahrain. If the Ukraine leadership could throw off dictatorial ties with Russia for preference friendship with the United States, then it could happen elsewhere.
"In Egypt, the demonstrations lack the flair of Lebanon's uprising. But the protests have become as routine as dust storms in the desert and traffic jams in Cairo's Tahrir Square.
"On March 20, one prominent group, organized under the umbrella label Kifaya, or Enough, gathered for the latest in a series of rallies that began with chants against the U.S. intervention in Iraq and climaxed with calls to unseat Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who has tolerated few challenges during his 24 years in power."
"’These (Egyptian freedom carriers) are people who want to join the world,’ said Mohammed Kamal. ‘The main motives for reform, at least for me, are internal issues. People who have been outside recognize how vital it is for Egypt to change.’
"’We don't want to be extras on somebody else's stage,’ said Aly Abdel Fatah. ‘We want to change the system, not just a person.’"
Bush's freedom spread continues
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