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What the World Really Wants
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| Contributor | ArmyDem |
| Last Edited | ArmyDem May 24, 2006 11:25pm |
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| Category | Commentary |
| News Date | Tuesday, May 30, 2006 05:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Russians still rate democracy as something they like and value. But their big priority is the conditions that let them lead decent lives.
By Fareed Zakaria
Newsweek
May 29, 2006 issue - The Bush administration describes spreading democracy as the lodestar of its foreign policy. It speaks about democracy constantly and has expanded funding for programs associated with it. The administration sees itself as giving voice to the hundreds of millions who are oppressed around the world. And yet the prevailing image of the United States in those lands is not at all as a beacon of liberty. Public sentiment almost everywhere sees the United States as self-interested and arrogant. There is a huge disconnect between what the Bush administration believes it stands for and how it is seen around the world.
Why? Well, consider Vice President Cheney's speech on May 4 in Lithuania, in which he accused Russia of backpedaling on democracy. Cheney was correct in his specific criticisms. If anything, he was coming a little late to this party. Senators like John McCain and Joe Lieberman have been making this case for more than a year. Russia watchers have been pointing to these trends for longer. But to speak as Cheney did last week misunderstands the reality in that country, and squanders America's ability to have an impact in it. |
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