George W. Bush Betrays His Nation

01/30/2006 17:23

The US administration forgets about the propaganda of democracy if there is a chance to obtain profit

When George W. Bush was delivering his inaugural speech a year ago he emphasized the priorities of US policies during the second term of his presidency. The US President said that he would take efforts to struggle against tyrannical regimes all over the world. Brushing aside the debate about the notion of tyranny in the modern world, one can see that the US administration has achieved very little progress to keep the promise of US president.

The definition of democracy and totalitarian regimes has been a pet subject in the science of politics for ages. There is still no common opinion on the matter. One should choose a certain rough notion of democracy and tyranny to estimate the efficiency of the US-led foreign policies. Let us assume that democracy is a way of governing a nation which guarantees and observes human rights and gives people an opportunity to participate in the process of political decisions. Tyranny implies the concentration of power in the hands of only one person, while the rights of his nationals lose value absolutely.

The White House continues to proceed from the national interests, like any other state during any other historical epoch. Defending democracy in the whole world is not a priority for Bush and his administration.

Egypt, for example, held parliamentary and presidential elections in 2005. Washington is not likely to suspend the process of establishing a highly profitable cooperation with Egypt just because of the fact that an ardent fighter for democracy, Ayman Nur, has been jailed for five years there. Ayman Nur and a group of his followers were trying to create a democratic opposition for Egyptians, who see only one authoritarian leader in their country - Mubarak - and do not imagine anyone else at his place. Mr. Nur was propagandizing advantages of democracy with the help of the money that he received from the West, including the USA. If the Egyptian leader is waiting for a message from Condoleezza Rice in jail, he is definitely wasting his time.

Bush's attitude to the massacre in Darfur, Sudan, is another example of the USA's "success" in the fight for global democracy. When Osama bin Laden was hiding in Sudan, the USA did not think twice to launch missiles and drop bombs on the country. Nowadays, when the US administration spends billions of dollars to maintain the nation's military predominance, the American budget does not have any funds for a peacemaking operation in the region.

The US administration is unable to identify its preferences - democracy or national interests - on the post-Soviet space either. The opposition of Azerbaijan, for instance, failed to prove it to Washington that Ilkhan Aliyev was a dictator. The US administration apparently decided that friendly relations with Azerbaijan - the country that takes an important geopolitical position - are much more relevant than the criticism of Mr. Aliyev's regime.

The year after the repeated inauguration of George W. Bush has revealed serious flaws with democracy and observation of human rights in the USA. The struggle against the international terrorism is obviously a noble deed, although the use of tortures likens CIA officers to Al Qaeda bombers. Who knows, maybe the USA will be able to act better in bringing freedom to the "suppressed nations" as years of Bush's presidency go by. Discuss this article on Pravda.Ru English Forum