Reply #9: I don't think it's all that weak...

[Violet_Crumble]

After all, the US installed the Shah in Iran, and props up undemocratic regimes. It's those sort of things that help foster fundamentalism and help the message the fundies send to citizens of those countries more palatable. Likewise, the US hands these regimes the distraction tool they use to focus anger on the lack of US concern over human rights violations and violation of international law by Israel in the Occupied Territories. Remove those causes and chances are that the people in those countries are going to turn their attention on their corrupt rulers, which is exactly what those rulers don't want to happen...

btw, from what I've read, Jordan is a democracy. Not an advanced Western-style democracy, but it's definately been undergoing democratic reform, which is a thing some people posting here will hotly debate. I think the problem isn't so much whether or not democracies will emerge, but whether or not those democracies will become pawns of the US in the region, or whether they'll actually reflect the views of the population...




Violet...