Back to square one

By Amr Elchobaki

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With only months to go in office, President Bush is touring the region, discussing the long-forgotten peace process and reassuring his moderate allies. But there is a growing sense of frustration with the US in the Middle East; one shared by governments and opposition movements alike.

The US has already called off all the lofty ideas it came up with after invading Iraq. Back then US officials were urging the region's three main regimes -- Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt -- to engage in reform. Back then, when the so-called "Spring of Arab Reform" was still alive, the US was actually dreaming of turning Iraq into a model. Not anymore.

The US has come to the patronising conclusion that we're so far removed from democracy that it is not even worth trying. In other words, we deserve the leaders we've got. We lack democratic opposition and culture, so why rock the boat? With Islamists controlling the opposition, it is prudent to be nice to the autocrats in office; aloof but nice, US officials have concluded.

Come to think of it, why should the US bother to start with? The Americans are getting ready to pull out of Iraq, but they have already pulled out of Egypt. They've already washed their hands of the whole messy business of reform. The US is no longer capable of or willing to push for reform in this region -- fine by us. We all know that reform should come from the inside. It might be costly, but it is always worth it. Look at Iraq. One million people dead and still counting. But we all know the country is turning around. We do, right?

This week's Soapbox speaker is an analyst at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.

Al-Ahram Weekly Online : Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/880/op7.htm