US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI5130

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 005130 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; 
INR/NESA; INR/B; IIP/G/NEA-SA 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC 
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA 
USCINCCENT FOR POLAD 
LONDON FOR MOC, GOLDRICH 
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, TC 
SUBJECT:  MEDIA REACTION: DEMOCRACY AND ARAB HYPOCRISY 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  IN A RARE ARTICLE PRAISING THE U.S., UAE COLUMNIST 
LAUDS THE AMERICAN INITIATIVE TO DEMOCRATIZE THE ARAB AND MUSLIM 
WORLD AND BLAMES ARAB INTELLECTUALS FOR REJECTING THE CALL FOR 
DEMOCRACY SIMPLY BECAUSE IT CAME FROM THE WEST AND THE U.S.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "WHY WE REJECT DEMOCRACY," UAE COLUMNIST 
ABDULLAH RASHEED WROTE 12/01 IN ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-OFFICIAL 
ARABIC DAILY "AL-ITTIHAD": 
 
"MOST OF THE INTELLECTUAL ELITES IN THE ARAB WORLD SUFFER A STATE 
OF TOTAL SCHIZOPHRENIA ABOUT THEIR REALITY AND THEIR BELIEFS AND 
PRINCIPLES.  FOR MANY YEARS, ARAB INTELLECTUALS HAVE BEEN URGING 
THEIR GOVERNMENTS, REGIMES AND LEADERS TO ALLOW DEMOCRATIC 
REFORMS INTO ARAB COUNTRIES, LINKING THEIR OPPOSITION TO THOSE 
REGIMES TO THEIR DEMANDS TO INTRODUCE THE WESTERN MODEL OF 
DEMOCRACY INTO THEIR NATIONS.  NOT ONLY THIS, BUT THEY HAVE 
LAUDED AND PRAISED THE PRINCIPLES OF WESTERN DEMOCRACY AND HOW 
THE SITUATION WOULD BE ONCE THE REGIMES IN THEIR COUNTRIES TURN 
INTO WESTERN-MODEL FREE DEMOCRACIES.. TODAY, THE WEST, LED BY THE 
U.S., IS PROVIDING A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE ARAB PEOPLE TO 
INTRODUCE DEMOCRACY INTO ARAB COUNTRIES, COUPLED WITH WESTERN AND 
AMERICAN PRESSURE ON THE ARAB REGIMES AND GOVERNMENTS TO CONSIDER 
THE ARAB INDIVIDUAL'S HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTRODUCE DEMOCRATIC 
REFORMS." 
 
3.  "NOT ONLY THAT, THE U.S. IS PROVIDING A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY, 
FOR THE FIST TIME IN ARAB-AMERICAN RELATIONS, TO THE ARAB 
INDIVIDUAL BY FORCING THOSE REGIMES TO ALLOW SUCH AN OPPORTUNITY, 
STEMMING FROM THE WEST AND AMERICA'S BELIEF THAT THEY MUST CHANGE 
THEIR FOREIGN POLICIES AND TURN TO DEALING WITH DEMOCRATIC 
GOVERNMENTS AND PEOPLE INSTEAD OF DEALING WITH DICTATORS.  FOR 
MANY DECADES, THE WEST ALWAYS DEALT WITH TOTALITARIAN REGIMES 
THAT DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE INDIVIDUAL'S FREEDOM, HIS POLITICAL 
RIGHTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN GENERAL, UNTIL IT FOUND OUT THAT THEY 
HARVESTED A BITTER LEGACY OUT OF THIS STRATEGY AND REALIZED THAT 
DEALING WITH NON-DEMOCRATIC REGIMES HAS LED THESE SOCIETIES TO 
HATCH EXTREMISM, DESTRUCTIVE INTELLECTS AND TERRORISTS.. WESTERN 
TAX PAYERS, STRATEGISTS AND INTELLECTUALS HAVE BEGUN TO WONDER 
ABOUT LINKING THEIR COUNTRIES' INTERESTS AND FOREIGN POLICIES 
WITH NON-DEMOCRATIC REGIMES AND ARE CALLING TO END THIS 
RELATIONSHIP AND ALSO TO SEEK MEANS AND METHODS TO TURN ARAB 
SOCIETIES THAT HAVE NEVER KNOWN ANY DEMOCRACY INTO REGIMES THAT 
DEAL WITH THEIR PEOPLE IN A DEMOCRATIC AND CIVILIZED MANNER." 
 
4.   "THE WEST IS SERIOUS ABOUT TURNING ARAB REGIMES INTO 
DEMOCRATIC SYSTEMS BECAUSE THIS REALIZES ITS INTERESTS BEFORE IT 
REALIZES THE INTERESTS OF THE ARAB PEOPLE THEMSELVES, YET MOST 
ARAB INTELLECTUALS ARE UNAWARE OF THIS FACT.  THEREFORE, AS SOON 
AS THE CALL TO DEMOCRATIZE ARAB SOCIETIES AND NATIONS WAS 
LAUNCHED, OPPOSITION VOICES CAME VERY LOUD REJECTING ANY TALK 
ABOUT DEMOCRACY SIMPLY BECAUSE THE CALL HAS COME FROM THE U.S. 
AND THE WEST IN GENERAL.   WHAT IS STRANGE IS THAT THOSE WHO 
RAISE THE SLOGANS OF REJECTING THE DEMOCRACY WERE, UNTIL 
RECENTLY, PRO-DEMOCRACY AND THEY WERE IN A STATE OF CLASH 
DEFENDING THE MODEL OF WESTERN DEMOCRACY.  TODAY, AND BECAUSE THE 
INVITATION CAME FROM THE U.S. THEY HAVE BEGUN TO SEARCH FOR 
FAULTS IN THE WESTERN DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM." 
 
ALBRIGHT