Democracy, U.S.-style

[Spazito]

LONDON -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice went to Cairo last week to tell her Egyptian hosts and the Saudis, America's two most important Arab allies: No more stalling, you have to hold honest elections now.

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The new model of Mideast rulers Washington has in mind can be seen in Afghanistan and Iraq. Turbans and general's hats are out. The Mideast's new look will be "moderates" -- low-key, non-flamboyant, fluent English-speakers in sober business suits who are "Muslims lite" and owe their total financial and political support, as well as personal protection, to Washington.

They will continue to sell oil cheap, open their markets to U.S. business, buy arms they can't use, allow U.S. military bases, reconfigure their military forces for internal security control, suppress political Islam, and make nice with Israel. In other words, just what the former kings and generals did, but with far less flash and much more subtlety.

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Control of the Arab world and its oil is a pillar of U.S. power. It's unlikely Washington will ever countenance genuinely free Mideast elections. After Jimmy Carter called for democracy in Iran in 1979, and began withdrawing U.S. support from its grotesque Shah, a key U.S. ally, popular revolution erupted that brought in a violently anti-U.S. Islamic government.

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http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Margolis_Eric/2005/06/26/1105205-sun.html