Democracy essential for the Middle East says Rice

Davos: Democracy is essential for political and economic development in the Middle East, said Condolezza Rice, US Secretary of State told delegates at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

“The emphasis on democracy in the Middle East is controversial and some argue that is has made the situation worse, but I ask worse than what?'' Rice asked.

She argued democracy would have helped (and would do in the future) in situations like the “Lebanese watching the Syrians occupying their country for 30 years" and the Palestinians “not being able to hold their government to account as it wasted a chance of peace and the second intifada started."

“The past order in the Middle East is nothing to extol, but that does not make the challenges of the present less difficult... The process will take decades and it will be driven as it should be and can only be by courageous leaders and citizens in the region.''

She rejected the idea that the United States should weaken its emphasis on democracy.

“The only truly effective solutions to many of these challenges will emerge not in spite of democracy, but because of it.''

Rice was spelling out how she considers it essential that the USA does not make a distinction between its principles and its national interests, and that American foreign policy has to be based on seeking “political and economic freedom, open markets and free trade, human dignity and human rights, equal opportunity and the rule of law.''

She refined these broad aims into three specific policy directions: promoting just economic models for development, the promotion of a free and more democratic world, and the importance of using diplomacy to overcome differences among nations.

She linked economic development to democracy, pointing out that “some states are growing economically through a kind of ‘authoritarian' capitalism. But it is an open question whether this is sustainable for a government to respect people's talents but not their rights'', she said.

Speaking about Afghanistan, she bluntly pointed out that “our publics need to be told honestly that we are engaged in a real war in Afghanistan, and that there will be sacrifices and that this is not just a peacekeeping operation.

"The stakes could not be higher for the Afghan people, our alliance and our security.''

Looking at other areas of policy, Rice said that the present US administration wants open and free trade, pointing out that President Bush has pledged that the US will eliminate all tariffs, subsidies and barriers, but she made clear that this was not an offer from the US to implement now, but would wait for “other nations to do the same''.

As she laid out this list of principles for American foreign policy, she recognised that it would be controversial in many areas of the world. She insisted that it was important for the USA to stick to its principles and put them into action.

She denied that this was a naïve process but just in case anyone thought it was naïve, she quoted the Nineteenth Century German Chancellor Otto von Bismark, who said “God has given a special providence for fools, drunks, and the United States of America.''