July 08, 2009

Obama fails his first democracy test, by Dr Marwan Al Kabalan, Syria, July 02, 2009, Gulf News













Illustration: Nino Jose Heredia/Gulf News
Obama fails his first democracy test



US reaction to the military coup in Honduras has cast doubt on the Obama administration's commitment towards democracy promotion around the world.

Compared to its fierce criticism to alleged "irregularities" in the Iranian presidential elections, Washington's reaction to the ousting of the democratically-elected president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, was very mild. It was expected that the Obama administration would condemn the coup and call for reinstating the government of president Zelaya.

It did not happen. Washington remained largely mute about the constitutional crisis in Honduras merely because the ousted government had exhibited an unfriendly attitude towards the US and its interests in the region.

Some, such as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, have even accused Washington of complicity with the military junta in Honduras. This must be seen as a setback for President Barack Obama's policy of supporting democracy, which has been clearly stated in his Cairo address last month.

It must have come also as a disappointment for those who have expected Obama to invest more in promoting democracy, particularly in the Middle East.

Historically, democracy promotion in general has never been an end by itself for the US, rather the form of democracy promoted was, in most cases, narrow and thereby suitable for furthering US interests.

This applies both to the country's historical record and the role of democracy promotion as a "central theme" in the foreign policy of any US administration since the Second World War. The gap between the commitment to promoting democracy and the reality of US foreign policy is most evident in the case of the Middle East, where there must be disbelief at the notion that the US has a long-standing commitment to democracy promotion. The entire history of US relations with this region shows that Washington has been involved more in undermining democratic regimes than fostering them. And, crucially, the drivers for such a policy have been economic and strategic interests.

As far as the Obama administration is concerned, it is difficult to prove that democracy promotion would be at the centre of its foreign policy, despite Obama's claim to the contrary. It is very difficult also to argue that the US attitude towards democracy promotion in the Middle East would change any time soon. In fact, Washington showed interest in democracy promotion in the Middle East only after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington when democracy came to be seen as an effective way for enhancing US security and keeping an "enemy" at bay.

It seems difficult to conclude anything other than that democracy promotion in the Middle East was and remains a tool among many to promote US interests rather than an end in itself. Under the Obama administration, the pro-democracy rhetoric will almost certainly be overused by clear inconsistencies, including supporting dictators and autocrats around the world.

Besides, in practical terms, it is not at all easy for the US to promote democracy in the light of its inclination to ignore the fact that democracy has to be firmly rooted in the local and very particular conditions of specific societies, and that the success of fledging democracies depends more on local factors than on anything that the US can or cannot do.

In fact, one of the main limitations of US democracy promotion is that the policy has been accepted as universally applicable when, in fact, it is a culturally and historically specific version of what democracy means.

No wonder that when US officials speak of democracy they simplify its meaning and see little need to spell out its main features. They refer to free elections, free markets and free press, but ignore the wider contexts within which democracy should develop and work. The US does not seem to be bothered by these details.

In the light of what has been said, it is believed that the Obama administration's commitment to democracy promotion is more of a public relations ploy than an achievable, and maybe even desirable, goal for US foreign policy. The reaction to the military coup in Honduras is an example of this tendency.



Dr Marwan Al Kabalan is a lecturer in media and international relations at the faculty of Political Science and Media, Damascus University, Syria.

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