Conservatives in Canada like me and the other 54 of you should be drilling this sort of thing through other Canadians’ heads. Repeating it over and over. Forcing liberals (nearly the whole country) to memorize it by repeating it to them over and over and over again. Pinning things like this up on every fridge in the nation. Voicing support for any conservative who brings it up. Speaking up when a liberal retorts it with their ever-so-brilliant “Halliburton!” bafflegab.
In fact, people should just be forced to visit this web site every day and read it aloud. But that’s just my vision of the best way to go.
This is the National Post’s lead editorial this morning. This works too.
A taste of freedom
National Post
Monday, February 28, 2005When George W. Bush delivered his second inaugural speech last month, much of the world snickered. The U.S. President advocated nothing less than the creation of “democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.” To his critics, Mr. Bush’s declaration seemed impossibly naive.
But then, Mr. Bush could hardly have expected much different. The Iraq war, the defining act of his presidency, was justified in part as a radical means to bring democracy to the heart of the Middle East. Opponents of the war in Europe and elsewhere have long argued that, far from sowing the seeds of freedom, the invasion would merely bring chaos and violence.
Admittedly, Iraq has seen its fair share of bloodshed in the last two years. But the much-maligned Bush doctrine is also starting to bear fruit. Indeed, good news is coming so thick and fast that it is worth stepping back and cataloging the progress thus far.
– In Egypt, a de facto one-party dictatorship, President Hosni Mubarak has unexpectedly requested a constitutional amendment that would allow for direct multiparty elections.
There are too few details available to judge how far Mr. Mubarak’s proposed amendments would go. A prominent opposition leader remains imprisoned, and Mr. Mubarak’s Saturday declaration may be a ruse meant to deflect American demands for reform. Still, the fact the Egyptian President even finds it necessary to make such gestures shows that times have changed.
Ordinary Egyptians seem to think so, at least: Thousands have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest Mr. Mubarak’s autocratic methods, something that would have been unthinkable in the past.
– Lebanon has featured even larger demonstrations in favour of reform. Since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri earlier this month, hundreds of thousands have mobilized in public protest against their long-time Syrian occupiers. Although premature, some are already drawing a parallel with Ukraine, calling the movement Lebanon’s Orange Revolution.
– As Friday night’s terrorist attack in Tel Aviv shows, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is far from over. But hope is in the air. And one of the major reasons for this is that Palestinians no longer live under Yasser Arafat’s dictatorial and corrupt rule.
In the wake of Arafat’s death last year, Palestinians participated in historic elections. Their democratically elected leader, Mahmoud Abbas, has so far shown himself to be a sensible and pragmatic man. The fact the Palestinian Authority has become more peaceful as it has become more democratic is a powerful testament to the truth of Mr. Bush’s faith in freedom.
– In Saudi Arabia, arguably the most repressive country in the Middle East, reforms have been more modest. Still, developments suggest that at least some influential members of the country’s Royal Family realize that democratization is inevitable.
This month, the country held its first free municipal elections. In deference to Saudi Arabia’s famously sexist norms, women were excluded. But according to Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, that could change in coming elections.
– Finally, we come to Iraq, where 58% of voters defied the world’s expectations by casting their votes in last month’s national election. Leaders of the country’s successful parties are now negotiating the composition of a new government, and there is every indication the majority of Iraqis will respect its authority. In this nation, more than anywhere else in the Arab Middle East, Mr. Bush’s vision is taking root.
As the U.S. president would concede, it will be many years—perhaps decades—before that vision is fulfilled on a global scale. Not only in the Arab world, but also in Russia, central Asia, North Korea, Burma, Cuba, Venezuela, Africa and China, people are suffering under dictatorships or quasi-dictatorships of one kind or another. But the fact such astonishing progress is now on display in the Arab world—the region that until now has shown itself to be the most resistant to democracy’s call—shows the President’s dream is hardly naive.
Remember Mr. Bush’s inauguration speech well. In coming years, we will likely hear his stirring words cited many times by historians. Few, we expect, will be snickering.
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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