After Operation “Iraqi Freedom” comes “Expanding Freedom.”

One could be forgiven for thinking that given the unfolding debacle in Iraq, US President George W. Bush may have preferred to be a little more circumspect in his inaugural address, perhaps dwelling on domestic issues such as the economy. Instead, an apparently unbowed Bush delivered a forthright speech in which he pledged no less than bringing freedom and democracy to the benighted corners of the world. During his 22-minute address, Bush said it is “the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.” The president affirmed his policy of “exporting freedom,” saying that: “The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.” Of course, it is unclear exactly what sort of democracy Bush envisages for the rest of