The Ordeal of Europe and Democracy with … Bush
Hazem Saghieh Al-Hayat - 05/12/05//
In light of Bush's leadership, the US seems to curtail European progress, thus curbing the democratic progress Washington claims to be disseminating and spreading wherever possible.
This hasn't always been the case. The two Atlantic beacons of modernity, Europe and the US, have often been the pioneers of civilized values. For instance, Europe prevailed in the issues of death sentence and arms possession, while the US, which is initially a country of immigration, prevailed in the issue of integration. Europe developed a well-being and welfare-oriented state, the US fail to develop, the US consciousness rebuffed colonialism, which has long been linked to the European history. According to the difference in power, the US saved Europe from the Nazi savagery, then protected it from the Stalinian threat and its Bregnevian addendum. Under the mandate of Bill Clinton, the latest expressions of the avant-garde facet of Washington, whenever it is avant-gardiste, were revealed. It was represented by the image pf the reluctant Europeans driven to defend and protect the Muslims of former Yugoslavia.
All this vanished now. Not a week passes without seeing the world struck by news asserting the heavy US weight on Europe and on democratic awareness as well. Most often, such news is of scandalous nature.
The news published by the British Daily Mirror that Bush had schemed, last year, to bomb the headquarters of "Al Jazeera" news Channel in Qatar, is attributed to the worst demeanor in violating laws, as much as it is a sign of intolerance - undemocratic of course - towards media. What is even worse than the news in itself (which the "Neo-Arab liberals" did not comment on) is its refutation: two soldiers close the headquarters. Break!
Just when the storm was about to calm down, the Los Angeles Times revealed that the US Ministry of Defense has slipped reports and articles translated to Arabic, aimed to be published by Iraqi newspapers and signed by Iraqi "journalists" in order to adorn and embellish the image of the occupation.
Once the information is confirmed, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is determined to outweigh the President and the Ministry of Defense in "spreading democracy". The goal is what has been circulated about the CIA establishing secret prisons in East-European countries. These small Guitmos, if the news is confirmed, are, needless to say, a sign indicating that old Stalinian vaults are used for "democratic" purposes!
In addition to these contributions to promote democracy, and modernity of course, some well-known background, including: spreading the security tendency and extend it to Europe; promoting the rebellious vision to an old continent and another new one, whereby Bulgaria and Romania become ahead of France and Germany; supporting the right-wing coalition represented by Angela Merkel in Germany as compared to the past coalition of the Socialists, Democrats and Greens. In addition to the dark ideas circulated in Europe by intellectuals, who greatly admire the current US policies, chiefly the "new-French-philosopher" Bernard-Henri Lévy and his fellow Alain Finkielkrault, renowned for his interview with "Haaretz" newspaper.
All these highlight the dangers imposed by the US consciousness controlling both the European and democratic consciousnesses. This could intensify in the light of the growing US failure in Iraq, where fiction builds up, as do deception and fraud to conceal the real void. Every time al-Zirqawi's presence surfaces in al-Ramadi, and every time the "Mehdi army" endeavors to display its power in Al Nassiryah, George Bush becomes more convinced that things are going according to the devised plan.
In fact, Bush's leadership at the helm of the democratic camp has become in itself a stain on the face and mind of the said camp. Hence, either the terrorism that struck Madrid and London has served Bush, or the Euro-Mediterranean summit has ended up void, highlighting other signs of Europe's tragedy, and subsequently the tragedy of each real democratic consciousness.
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