Define democracy

By Salama A Salama

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Each time free elections are held in the Arab region, the US and the West find themselves in a dilemma, for there is always a chance that elections would bring to power Islamists or radicals who oppose US policies, or who are unwilling to accommodate every special notion the US has about the region.

No wonder the recent legislative elections in Egypt, the relative freedom of which allowed the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) to make unexpected gains, sent ripples through the US administration. Some US officials welcomed the broadening of political participation, regardless of the outcome of the elections, while others expressed concern over the increased power of the Islamists. US signals were mixed, perhaps on purpose. At first, US officials denied any intention to hold talks with the MB, or said that such talks would only take place under the vigil eye of the Egyptian government. Then US officials said it was fine to hold talks with MB parliamentarians, who are, after all, elected officials. Eager to reassure, the MB hinted that it is not trying to take over the country, and has no intention of changing Egypt's foreign policy or revoking the peace treaty with Israel.

Here is the rub. The US bias towards Israel is the card that most Islamic groups have used to gain popularity. It is the stick with which Islamic opposition groups beat pro-US regimes and anyone engaged in the peace process. The peace process has so far failed to bring about peace or restore Palestinian rights. Under the peace process, things have gotten worse for the Palestinians; and Israel seems to be dictating the future, both for Palestinians and the entire region. In the ensuing climate of hatred for the US, with popular anger fuelled by the Iraq war and the Palestinian issue, the Islamists won public sympathy, whereas regimes found themselves on the defensive.

It's hard not to be cynical about America's commitment to democracy. When all is said and done, the Americans think in terms of profit and loss, and they don't want anti-US groups to win. It's fine for the MB to make gains in Egypt so long as it's not making policy or taking control of the country. In Palestine, the picture is completely different. There, Hamas has made an impressive showing in the municipal elections and seems set to win the parliamentary one. Hamas has even expressed willingness to be part of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and government. This should have been fine, if one were to take US rhetoric seriously. After all, President Bush has bragged more than once about the way Palestinians and Iraqis are moving steadily towards democracy. But as soon as Hamas outperformed Fatah in the municipal elections, Israel spoke out against Hamas taking part in parliamentary elections. Israel, mind you, is a country where religious extremist parties are all allowed to contest elections. The Americans took sides with the Israeli point of view, the US Congress promising to review financial aid to the PA if Hamas is allowed to contest the parliamentary elections. Not to be outdone, the EU echoed the same sentiment.

What is going on here? A democratic process is proceeding as normal, and yet Israel, the US and the EU are unhappy about it. Apparently, democracy is not the issue here. What the US wants for the region is a special type of democracy. What the US wants is the type of democracy that doesn't allow people opposed to US policy to come into office. This is an odd definition of democracy, to say the least.