Wanton democracy

Words are like colors. They come and go with the seasons. Not so very long ago, words like “democratization” and “a new Middle East” were all the fashion in Washington and many a journalist, the trendy type, jumped on the bandwagon arguing that the Iraq war was about just that: democracy. But the tune changed even under George Bush and today the “D-word” has largely fallen out of fashion. While it can still be used in criticizing such countries as Iran or Syria, it is generally avoided in reference to the rest of the region. Hence, we heard next to nothing about the democratic turns for the worse in Egypt and Jordan, which with Saudi Arabia, form America’s triangle of “moderate” Arab allies. Despite a flood of promises not to, the Egyptian parliament on May 11 routinely and for the zillionth time extended the state of emergency that has continuously