A PATH TO ARAB DEMOCRACY

  Artículo de Marwan Muasher en “The International Herald Tribune” del 28.04.2003

The Middle East I

AMMAN, Jordan It is hard to imagine a more precarious - or more promising - time in the Middle East. Will Iraq become a secular democracy or a new theocracy? Will the change in the Palestinian leadership usher in needed reform and a chance for statehood and peace with Israel, or will the revolving door of violence and enmity continue to spin?

The region hangs in the balance. The direction in which it tips will depend on the choices made now by the Arab world, Israel and the United States. All have responsibilities they must assume.

It is becoming clear that the Arab world needs to take the initiative in making its political and economic systems more democratic. The frustrations Arabs feel today - prompted by the slow pace of democratic reform, stagnant economies and political instability - all threaten the region's future. The moment has come for the Arab world to engage in a homegrown, evolutionary and orderly process of democratization - one that will respect Arab culture and give citizens the power to be part of the political process.

It's important to remember, though, that expecting democracy to blossom overnight is simplistic at best and dangerous at worst. Force-feeding democracy will lead not to reform but radicalization. A wiser approach would be to respect the ability of Arab countries to take matters into their own hands.

The Arab world is ready to do this. The UN Arab Human Development Report, written by Arabs and released last year, is a frank assessment of some of the main challenges confronting us. It discusses the expansion of political freedoms, the role of women and the knowledge gap as key issues Arab nations need to face. This report must be taken seriously, not defensively, by the region. This is what we have done in Jordan, where both King Abdullah II and Queen Rania have endorsed it as a blueprint for development.

The Arab world also needs to assume a more active role in mediating the Arab-Israeli conflict. Arab leaders must finally take a public stand against suicide bombings. The truth needs to be clearly stated: suicide bombings have only hurt the Palestinian cause.

The United States has responsibilities too. In Iraq, it cannot behave as an occupying power if it wants to send the right signals to Iraqis that they can freely run their country.

The stay of U.S. and British forces there should be short. A credible, representative Iraqi government should take over as soon as possible. Moreover, those in the United States who call for rearranging the region would do well to stop such talk. They are alienating Arabs and jeopardizing the efforts of genuine reformers, who now cannot advocate democracy without being accused of doing America's bidding.

The United States must also step up its efforts to to help resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. No other action can better demonstrate that the United States is sensitized to all the problems of the region.

America cannot afford to give the impression that it has no tolerance for Palestinian inaction, but plenty of tolerance for Israel's continued settlement expansion and for prolonging the inhumane conditions under which the Palestinians live. President George W. Bush's recent statements that the plan for Middle East peace, known as the road map, will be published soon, without modification, are welcome developments.

The promise that the road map provides to both parties contains honorable objectives - an end to the conflict, an agreed solution to the refugee problem, collective security guarantees, a peace treaty between all Arab states and Israel, the creation of a Palestinian state, and Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese territories occupied since 1967. They should not be seen as controversial.

Arabs and Israelis should stop haggling over the details and focus on the clear objectives: a two-state solution and a future of peace and security for all.

These are the elements of a path worth walking down, one that promises hope to all the people in the Middle East. On this path, Arabs need to come to terms with their own political and economic challenges; Israel must realize it cannot continue to occupy a nation against its will; and the United States must help to foster democracy and end the Arab-Israeli conflict while at the same time ignoring the voices that speak of remaking the region in a way that suggests Arabs are pawns in a game of chess.

The writer is foreign minister of Jordan.