[Mb-civic] Careful What You Wish For

[michael at intrafi.com]

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Careful What You Wish For 
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Elections could yield hostile fanatics instead of freedom-loving friends

By Dov S. Zakheim
Dov S. Zakheim was undersecretary of Defense (comptroller) from 2001 to 2004.

February 27 2005

The successful national elections in Palestine and Iraq, along with local elections in Saudi Arabia and continuing demonstrations in Beirut reminiscent of those in Kiev not long ago, point to an upheaval in the Middle East. Yet in none of these places is it clear that democracy will endure. It isn't even apparent that Iraq's elections mark the beginning of a secular trend toward freedom of speech, assembly and religion. After all, these elections were not the first in Iraq's history, and the previous ones were followed by a series of nasty dictatorships, of which Saddam Hussein's was the most recent and nastiest. The leading candidate for prime minister, Ibrahim Jafari, is a member of the U.S.-backed interim government and head of the Shiite-based Islamic Dawa Party. He is a staunch advocate of Islamic values and has ties to Iran. It's anyone's guess what his policies might be if he does become prime minister. 

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-op-mideast27feb27,0,3211571.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions 

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