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From: wolda002@umn.edu
Date: Tue Feb 15 2011 - 15:10:41 EST
Dictatorships or Phony Democracy - America's Means of Repression in the
Arab World
http://www.skepticaleye.com/2011/02/dictatorships-or-phony-democracy.html
Posted by Nikk J
While the uprisings spreading across the Arab world have surprised many
observers, the same could not be said for the American foreign policy and
strategic establishment. A popular backlash against American-supported
dictatorships and repressive regimes has been anticipated for a number of
years, with arch-hawk geopolitical strategist Zbigniew Brzezinski
articulating a broad conception of a ‘Global Political Awakening’ taking
place, in which the masses of the world (predominantly the educated,
exploited and impoverished youth of the ‘Third World’) have become acutely
aware of their subjugation, inequality, exploitation and oppression. This
‘Awakening’ is largely driven by the revolution in information, technology
and communication, including radio, television, but most especially the
Internet and social media. Brzezinski had accurately identified this
‘Awakening’ as the greatest threat to elite interests regionally, but also
internationally, with America sitting on top of the global hierarchy.
This spurred on the development of an American strategy in the Arab world,
modeled on similar strategies pursued in recent decades in other parts of
the world, in promoting “democratization,” by developing close contacts with
‘civil society’ organizations, opposition leaders, media sources, and
student organizations. The aim is not to promote an organic Arab democracy
‘of the people, and for the people,’ but rather to promote an evolutionary
“democratization” in which the old despots of American strategic support are
removed in favour of a neoliberal democratic system, in which the outward
visible institutions of democracy are present (multi-party elections,
private media, parliaments, constitutions, active civil society, etc); yet,
the power-holders within that domestic political system remain subservient
to U.S. economic and strategic interests, continuing to follow the dictates
of the IMF and World Bank, supporting America’s military hegemony in the
region, and “opening up” the Arab economies to be “integrated” into the
world economy. Thus, “democratization” becomes an incredibly valuable
strategy for maintaining hegemony; a modern re-hash of “Let them eat cake!”
Give the people the ‘image’ of democracy and establish and maintain a
co-dependent relationship with the new elite. Thus, democracy for the people
becomes an exercise in futility, where people’s ‘participation’ becomes
about voting between rival factions of elites, who all ultimately follow the
orders of Washington.
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