|
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
|
Democrats and Nation-Building
|
Parent(s) |
Issue
|
Contributor | Tony82 |
Last Edited | Tony82 Sep 19, 2003 10:15am |
Logged |
0
|
Category | Commentary |
Media | Newspaper - Washington Post |
News Date | Friday, September 19, 2003 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
Description | For more than a year, the Democratic mantra on Afghanistan was that President Bush was not doing enough -- not spending enough money, not building the army fast enough, not deploying troops to tame the warlords. The charge was neglect and aversion to nation-building. The result? Afghanistan is "falling back into chaos," said Al Gore last November...
Nonetheless, it is useful to have the Democratic opposition make the case for nation-building. This year, however, the Democrats have adopted the opposite tune, denouncing the administration for ambitious, budget-busting nation-building in Iraq...
Iraq does not just have infinitely more potential for recovery, it has vastly greater strategic importance. Afghanistan has a kind of negative strategic importance. Our basic objective there is simply to keep it out of the hands of the bad guys. But it is hardly going to be a central locus of American power or pro-Western sentiment in the region.
Baghdad, on the other hand, one of the three great Arab capitals, is a powerful regional actor. Its transformation from a bastion of radical pan-Arabism and anti-Americanism to a peaceful, pro-Western capital would have a revolutionary effect on both inter-Arab relations and the political trajectory of the entire region. The stakes could not be higher. |
Share |
|
2¢
|
|
Article | Read Full Article |
|
Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
|