Reality
Interesting Op-Ed from former Bubba Sec o' State Madeleine Albright in the WaPo this morning. She argues a version of what I've been espousing as progressive Israel policy - don't throw it away just because the NeoCons embraced it. The NeoCons have worked to destroy our post-WWII system of security and alliances, replacing it with a twitchy sort of bullying paranoia.
No, she didn't say that. I did.
What she says is 'don't lose your idealism just because the Bush people have made idealism look so very bad.' She's afraid that whoever is charged with fixing the unbelievable mess of our foreign policy will revert to a 'realism' that will serve today's interests without looking ahead or believing in things like liberty and democracy. A sort of John Bolton approach without the apocalyptic visions.
She rightly points out that the expression of Arab democracy won't look like a congressional election in Wisconsin - Arabs will give voice to their own beliefs, and that's okay.
"If Arab democracy develops, it will do so to advance Arab aspirations based on Arab perceptions of history and justice. The right to vote and hold office is unlikely to soften Arab attitudes toward Israel or to end the potential for terror, just as it has been unable to prevent terrorist cells from organizing in the West. Democracy should, however, create a broader and more open political debate within Arab countries, exposing myths to scrutiny and extreme ideas to rebuttal. Though some may fear such an opening, Americans should welcome it. For if we fail to value free expression, we forget our own history."
We need to eliminate the pie-in-the-sky horse excretions from the Junta, though:
"At the same time, we should keep a rein on our expectations. Bush has said that America "has a calling from beyond the stars" to proclaim liberty throughout the world. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice argues that the democratic transformation of the Middle East is the only way to guarantee that men do not fly airplanes into buildings. Such rhetoric is overblown. Just because the denial of political freedom is bad, that doesn't mean that the exercise of freedom will always be to our liking. Democracy is a form of government; it is not a ticket to some heavenly kingdom where all evil is vanquished and everyone agrees with us."
America was founded on idealism, and needs to stay grounded in a realism that reflects our beliefs while working in the real world. That mean, in a practical sense, that while it may seem easier in the short term to torture prisoners, we don't believe in it. So we don't do it. Period.
And we need to continue to support democratic movements in the Middle East. Where I depart from Madeleine is where Hamas is the Palestinian government - there's nothing we can do with that. But that government is only the legitimate expression of the misguided grievances felt by Palestinians. They need some international tough love which will tell them to move on with their lives and make peace. Their perpetually savage grudge-holding only serves to impoverish their own people.
Which brings me back to Israel. As Madeleine said, 'don't toss out this approach to foreign policy just because the current leadership is so utterly hopeless.' When I read progressives nail the Junta on everything from Iraq to tax cuts to Katrina, I say "fight the fight!" But they seem, inevitably, to champion the grievances of Palestinians because the Junta doesn't.
And that's just wrong. Progressives, liberals: don't let the Junta control you like that. Right is right. And what's right - for today - is the wall.
No, she didn't say that. I did.
What she says is 'don't lose your idealism just because the Bush people have made idealism look so very bad.' She's afraid that whoever is charged with fixing the unbelievable mess of our foreign policy will revert to a 'realism' that will serve today's interests without looking ahead or believing in things like liberty and democracy. A sort of John Bolton approach without the apocalyptic visions.
She rightly points out that the expression of Arab democracy won't look like a congressional election in Wisconsin - Arabs will give voice to their own beliefs, and that's okay.
"If Arab democracy develops, it will do so to advance Arab aspirations based on Arab perceptions of history and justice. The right to vote and hold office is unlikely to soften Arab attitudes toward Israel or to end the potential for terror, just as it has been unable to prevent terrorist cells from organizing in the West. Democracy should, however, create a broader and more open political debate within Arab countries, exposing myths to scrutiny and extreme ideas to rebuttal. Though some may fear such an opening, Americans should welcome it. For if we fail to value free expression, we forget our own history."
We need to eliminate the pie-in-the-sky horse excretions from the Junta, though:
"At the same time, we should keep a rein on our expectations. Bush has said that America "has a calling from beyond the stars" to proclaim liberty throughout the world. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice argues that the democratic transformation of the Middle East is the only way to guarantee that men do not fly airplanes into buildings. Such rhetoric is overblown. Just because the denial of political freedom is bad, that doesn't mean that the exercise of freedom will always be to our liking. Democracy is a form of government; it is not a ticket to some heavenly kingdom where all evil is vanquished and everyone agrees with us."
America was founded on idealism, and needs to stay grounded in a realism that reflects our beliefs while working in the real world. That mean, in a practical sense, that while it may seem easier in the short term to torture prisoners, we don't believe in it. So we don't do it. Period.
And we need to continue to support democratic movements in the Middle East. Where I depart from Madeleine is where Hamas is the Palestinian government - there's nothing we can do with that. But that government is only the legitimate expression of the misguided grievances felt by Palestinians. They need some international tough love which will tell them to move on with their lives and make peace. Their perpetually savage grudge-holding only serves to impoverish their own people.
Which brings me back to Israel. As Madeleine said, 'don't toss out this approach to foreign policy just because the current leadership is so utterly hopeless.' When I read progressives nail the Junta on everything from Iraq to tax cuts to Katrina, I say "fight the fight!" But they seem, inevitably, to champion the grievances of Palestinians because the Junta doesn't.
And that's just wrong. Progressives, liberals: don't let the Junta control you like that. Right is right. And what's right - for today - is the wall.
posted by fiduciary at 7:53 AM
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