The War in Iraq has had a major Impact on moving Arab Governments towards Democracy.

NPR's Day to Day ^ | Oct 15,2003 | Alex Chawick

[Kay Soze]

NPR Interviews Sulaiman Al-Hattlan, columnist for the Saudi daily paper Al Watan in Ryadd.
He is also a Harvard Professor of Middle East Studies.

Saudi Arabia to Hold First-Ever Elections

The last question asked of Sulaiman Al-Hattlan:

Q: “One last question- when the US began this war against Iraq in the spring a lot of writers and analysts were saying this might help generate a kind of wave of democratic freedom throughout the region. Is there any connection between the US war against Iraq and Saddam and this kind of nascent democratic flowering in and Saudi Arabia?”

Answer:

”The discourse in Saudi Arabia and indeed the entire Arab world has changed since the beginning of the war in Iraq meaning people are saying up front and completely that if we do not start change ourselves outside forces might come and force us to change.”

”So people who call for reform keep reminding the government in the Arab World that if you don not do it your self somebody else might come and force you do it.”

”So indeed it has influenced the discourse the debate on reform it has major impact in my opinion regardless of the denial by the governments in the region saying you know this war has cause so much trouble to the region and to the Iraqi people. In some ways it did indeed but on the other ways I see also positive impact on what is happening in Iraq on the entire region.”

[Kay Soze]

WOW WOW

Our going into Iraq will stabilize the Middle East!

You can tell NPR Alex Chadwick was upset at the answer and did not want to pursue it. He ended the interview quickly!

[Mark Felton]

wow. How did you find such an obscure interview?

NPR broadcasts from Uzbekistan or Tibet or somewhere, right?

[Sir Gawain]

I thought it was Stalingrad.

[AmericaUnited]

What an ignorant stooge!

[Jabba the Nutt]

"...people are saying up front and completely that if we do not start change ourselves outside forces might come and force us to change."

Hmmmmm, sounds like Japan before Admiral Perry showed up in Tokyo harbor.

[ellery]

ping!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thank you for being willing to listen to NPR, Kay.

Thanks for the ping, ellery!

"..indeed the entire Arab world has changed since the beginning of the war in Iraq meaning people are saying up front and completely that if we do not start change ourselves outside forces might come and force us to change.”

New beginnings are difficult.

The Arab press has written about this.

Western media's still mucking about in their quagmire.

8 Pan-Arabism, Dead In Baghdad’s Streets ~ Daily Star (Lebanon)  | 9/17/03 | Mustafa Alrawi

 Thanks, Tonkin!

If you want on or off my Pro-Coalition ping list, please Freepmail me. Warning: it is a high volume ping list on good days. (Most days are good days).

[prairiebreeze]

LOL!! That's right RC!! It's Western Media that's in a quagmire.

Bingo!

Prairie

[JohnGalt]

Indeed, but what else would you expect from gubmint radio but gubmint propoganda?

The worst part about it is that I paid for this crap.

Ugh.

[MEG33]

Freedom bump

[GOPJ]

Liberals would rather duck a real news story than report something that disagrees with their preconceived notions. The media lacks. NPR lacks.

Our going into Iraq will stabilize the Middle East!

You can tell NPR Alex Chadwick was upset at the answer and did not want to pursue it. He ended the interview quickly!

[gedeon3]

I guess all the years clinton kissed their butts, moved them closer to democracy; until the evil bush II came, and ruined the whole thing. (sarcasm).

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[PhilDragoo]

Pan Arabic Plate Tectonic Shift Bump

[windchime]

Bump!