"Change" in America: Regression in the Middle East

As we, in the Middle East, are affected by the outcome of the American elections due to the next administration's prospective Middle East policy, I looked into both candidates and their Middle East programs and stances.

I directed my attention to "change" rhetoric by the democratic candidate. At the strategic level, I did not find any significance of this promised change, rather it is just about changing republicans from the White House and keep things as they are or as they were before the republicans. In other words, going backward not forward as usually expected from democrats and their persistent inaction.

If so, this fallacious change means disaster for the Middle East. It actually means going back to the post-Cold War Middle East, which means keeping totalitarian and authoritarian regimes enjoying a stable situation of authoritarianism and non-democracy in the Middle East, while the region's peoples or most of them are suffering from repression, poverty and absent rights and freedoms.

This situation will definitely lead to a disastrous and seriously dangerous region to the whole world. It will result in a region constitutes a storehouse of violence and terror with a sustainable source of terrorists.

It is really strange and sorrowful how Democrats showed that they did not understand anything from 9/11 and the whole wave of terrorism in the world since then. This is quite obvious to me when I find nothing in their Middle East agenda but going backward with the region to the pre-9/11 era, especially with their initiatives toward totalitarian rough regimes and entities like Ahmadynajad regime and Baath regime while the democratic candidate is looking forward to sit with them. By the way, those are dying to see Democrats in the White House in the upcoming elections.

So, while we, the Middle East democrats and liberals, are seeking and championing change in our region, the U.S. Democrats are seeking and advocating regression in this region. This would be a very painful and disastrous mistake.

Finally, a so-called "change" in the United States inflicting regression in such a vital region is not a change; it is a fallacy.

Let us go for change in the Middle East not regression that no one can take anymore.

11/3/2008

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