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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Dec 31, 2007
22 Teves 5768
The democracy delusion
By
Michael Goodwin
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
No sooner was Benazir Bhutto declared dead last week than the echo machine of American politics kicked into high gear. The White House, Congress and virtually everybody on the presidential campaign trail all repeated the same sentiment: Her tragic death must not derail Pakistan's commitment to democracy.
There are two possible explanations for this bipartisan chorus: Either democracy really is the answer to what ails Pakistan, or no leading voice in either party has the courage to utter the politically incorrect truth. Namely, that, for now, a freely elected government in Pakistan may not be in the best interests of the United States.
Consider that a recent poll there found that Osama Bin Laden is more popular than President Pervez Musharraf. That's not exactly fertile ground for the flowering of American idealism that lays behind the reflexive calls for one man, one vote.
Free elections demanded by Washington brought Hamas into the Palestinian government and the notion that democracy is a cure-all is proven wrong every time Lebanese voters go to the polls and award Hezbollah more seats. To judge from Thursday's simplistic reactions, we haven't learned our lesson yet.
We better get it right in Pakistan, whose military might makes the situation infinitely more dangerous. Because of its nuclear weapons and a powerful conventional army, the most important thing for regional and American security is keeping that arsenal out of the wrong hands. Musharraf, for all his failings, has managed to do that so far. We forget that success at our peril.
From the American perspective, the overarching problem is not that Musharraf has ruled with an iron fist. His wrong-headed crackdown on dissent in the last few months notwithstanding, the real problem is that he used the velvet glove in dealing with Bin Laden and Al Qaeda types hiding along the Afghanistan border and with those who have infiltrated the military.
His reasons are telling. Major moves against Islamic extremists are unpopular domestically and he risked widespread unrest merely by talking about them. Musharraf himself has escaped several assassination attempts by terror groups.
Bhutto, too, played a coy game with the worst of the worst during her two stints as prime minister. She claimed, for example, not to know that a top scientist in Pakistan was selling nuclear technology to North Korea and Libya, yet there were accusations she herself took part in some dealings with North Korea. And she was an early and avid supporter of the Taliban, seeing the fundamentalist group as good for Afghanistan. We know from 9/11 how that worked out.
It is understandable that American politicians would ignore that history in the immediate aftermath of Bhutto's death. And there is no doubt that an anti-democratic group, whether Islamist or not, is behind her murder and the chaos knocking on Pakistan's door.
Yet what is surprising is that nearly everyone who wants to succeed President Bush has latched on to his democracy answer as the cure for terrorism. His approach was best summed up by Secretary of State Rice, who, speaking in Egypt in 2005, articulated the ideal. Said she: "For 60 years, my country, the U.S., pursued stability at the expense of democracy in this region here in the Middle East and we achieved neither. Now we are taking a different course. We are supporting the democratic aspirations of all people."
It's an inspiring idea, but a poor substitute for a precise foreign policy based on facts. Its one-size-fits-all philosophy has always sounded suspiciously like a liberal response to crime: more welfare, fewer cops.
Most important, democracy-as-the answer confuses Islamic terrorists with standard political movements. As these radicals have made bloody clear across the globe, they are not interested in sharing power. They don't want a seat at the table in a pluralistic society. They want the whole table and they want absolute obedience to Islamic law, as they interpret it.
It's bad enough they are creating havoc as insurgent groups in numerous countries. It would be far, far worse if they controlled the one Muslim nation that knows how to make a mushroom cloud.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and the media consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Michael Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the New York Daily News. Comment by clicking here.
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