Democracy - Coming to a polling station near you

I saw something very disturbing, but very also revealing today. Following a debate conducted by the BBC's Tim Sebastian, in Doha, 73% of the audience, most of whom were elite, extremely well educated Arabs, felt that the US intervention and subsequent elections in Iraq have done nothing that would help other Arab countries become democracies.

I find it alarming because I wanted to believe, that upon seeing the success of Iraq's 'Purple' (after the colour of indelible ink applied to a voter's fingers) Revolution, more citizens of repressive regimes around the middle east would begin calling for the end to dictatorships and tyranny in their country. Then again, after hearing the arguments that convinced so many in the erudite audience, I can't help but share their cynicism for any future democratic revolutions in this region.

Iraqi citizens would never have managed to launch such a project for perpetual self-determination, if they tried to do it by themselves. When Saddam 'organized' the last elections in Iraq, he did not have a single credible contender standing against him. More evidence of the sham came from that fact that if 60% of the population belonged to the Shia community; one that was ignored and oppressed by Saddam to devastating effect, an overwhelming 90 odd percent of the vote could never have gone the dictator's way. Not only did Saddam willfully rig elections, but he also made sure that any opposition's chances for coming even a distant second to him were severely undermined. His methods were brutally simple: Jail or execution.

If it had not been for the intervention by the United States, Iraq would never have got rid of the man who singlehandedly drained & consequently deprived a country of its vast natural and human resources. The war in Iraq signalled the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of Iraqis. However, elsewhere in the Middle East, where governments are equally if not more oppressive than Saddam was, any calls for a revolution are swiftly & mercilessly silenced. It's rulers have horded tremendous wealth as a result of their oil money and are now either able to buy the silence of the people or pay those who will silence these voices for them.

Unless the rest of the world is able to take away their ability to continue this; winds of change will never blow through this region. Today, western governments are reluctant to do anything of the sort. A war in the region could potentially mean cutting off the world's largest source of energy, should it get out of control. The economies of not just the countries involved but that of the whole world, will collapse without the supplies of crude oil coming from the Middle East.

Thomas Friedman, the multiple Pulitzer prize winning columnist, provides a plausible and potentially highly effective solution to bringing democracy to the Arab world. One that would kill not one or two, but three birds at once! He says that George Bush must call for a kind of 'Manhattan Project' to develop indigenous & clean energy supplies. The US, a country that today consumes 25% of the world's energy, will in 10-15 years be completely independent of its need to buy Arab Oil.

2. With an America that consumes clean energy, governments around the world would not only have a workable model to answering their own energy crises, they would also be able to reunite under a 'Kyoto II' protocol. One where implementing cleaner energy practices are not just goals but existing practices! Consequently, America would no longer be the target of the 'Greens' who heavily criticised its blatant disregard for the original Kyoto Protocols.

Consequently, and more importantly, with a reduced demand for their Oil, the incomes of Arab sheiks who today, control their countries by using American dollars would be decimated. If they cannot afford to keep their people silent anymore, they will eventually have to give way to their demands - and move towards becoming working democracies.

You dont always need wars or revolutions to free people - sometimes you just need the willingness to back the right idea. If there is one thing that Bush can do right in his second run at the White House - it will be changing the way he brings democracy to the world. In a manner that has been tried and tested many times over - from Gandhi to Nelson Mandela - Peacefully. In doing so - he will not only unleash the tides of democracy over a languishing Arab World, but he will also win over his harshest critics - those who claim that his methods only advocate war and do irrepairable damage to the environment.

If I lived in the Middle East, I'd stay tuned - If President Bush plays his cards right, there could be a ballot box headed my way - sometime in the future!

Someone missed the Bus!

You have to hand it to The Times of India. I've not been a fan of the newspaper for many years now, because of it's growing sensationalistic editorial style. However, today's frontpage headlines more than made up for the years of uninspiring, journalistic drivel.
To put the matter into context, the headline they ran preceeded the story of how the attempted terrorist attack on the first bus to cross from Jammu & Kashmir into Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in 60 years, failed to achieve anything for the terrorists. The editor of the story captured the mood perfectly:"Terrorists miss target, mood". It was dramatic not just because it was in a larger font than normal, but because it screamed the message that every ordinary citizen of India and Pakistan have been trying to pass onto the terrorists. "You lost your way a long time ago. We do not want any more war. You cannot stop peace."
The governments call the service the "Caravan of Peace". And it seems only fitting that the only vehicles that will cross the Line of Control from now on are those that will bring people and families separated for decades, closer to each other.
The road to peace has been secured, literally and figuratively. With security forces now concentrating more on making sure that the people on both sides can meet safely, the governments can begin working together to find an end to the thorn in their side.
Every single entity involved in the conflict, rallied against the terrorists within minutes of news of the attack. Both governments swiftly issued statements that not only strongly condemned the attack, but they also stood firmly beside each other, to make sure that the "caravan of peace" completed its journey.
The terrorists have realised that they no longer hold the trump card and they're now willing to try every underhanded trick in the book. They're desparate - the fact that 4 independent terrorist groups claimed responsibility for the attack when only 2 terrorists carried it out is evidence of that.
My advice to the terrorists: Start by finding out how you can get tickets on the next bus because everyone's jumping onto the peace wagon! You missed it once before. Two weeks from now, make sure you're firmly on board - like everyone else!