A Democratic Momentum

IN one significant speech after another, President Bush stresses that he is on the side of democratic reformers, that he supports “democratic transitions in practical ways,” and that the cornerstone of his second-term foreign policy is to promote democracy, “particularly in the Arab world.” The concept is simplicity itself too simple according to Western critics, but not to Arabs. In a tone of wonder, the leftist German magazine Der Spiegel spoke for flabbergasted onlookers with the question posed by its recent cover story: “Could George W. Bush Be Right?” Yes, he could: He is advancing freedom. Relapses are always possible, of course, but suddenly today’s Arab order is shaking with unprecedented hope.

Anyone with experience of the Arab Middle East will have found a civilization that does not know what to do with itself. Freedom and democracy have been unknown quantities. The manners and grace of the past are almost irrecoverable. Creativity is blocked in all spheres by despotisms grinding down everything. One after another, ambitious and ruthless men have seized power and held it on the principle that force is the only law. Most of them have been soldiers, though a few have been monarchs claiming a right to rule through their Islamic affiliations. The coups, wars, and civil wars of these absolute rulers have left innumerable victims. The human waste is tragic. Worse still, the strong oppress the weak and degrade society in a way that cannot be stopped from within, and so would repeat itself forever.

About the Author

David Pryce-Jones

David Pryce-Jones (1936–2025) was a British author and commentator and served as a senior editor of National Review.

IN one significant speech after another, President Bush stresses that he is on the side of democratic reformers, that he supports “democratic transitions in practical ways,” and that the cornerstone of his second-term foreign policy is to promote democracy, “particularly in the Arab world.” The concept is simplicity itself too simple according to Western critics, but not to Arabs. In a tone of wonder, the leftist German magazine Der Spiegel spoke for flabbergasted onlookers with the question posed by its recent cover story: “Could George W. Bush Be Right?” Yes, he could: He is advancing freedom. Relapses are always possible, of course, but suddenly today’s Arab order is shaking with unprecedented hope.

Anyone with experience of the Arab Middle East will have found a civilization that does not know what to do with itself. Freedom and democracy have been unknown quantities. The manners and grace of the past are almost irrecoverable. Creativity is blocked in all spheres by despotisms grinding down everything. One after another, ambitious and ruthless men have seized power and held it on the principle that force is the only law. Most of them have been soldiers, though a few have been monarchs claiming a right to rule through their Islamic affiliations. The coups, wars, and civil wars of these absolute rulers have left innumerable victims. The human waste is tragic. Worse still, the strong oppress the weak and degrade society in a way that cannot be stopped from within, and so would repeat itself forever.