U.S. seen retreating from democracy push

[kskiska]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has quietly retreated from its high-profile push for democracy in the Muslim world, since the Hamas election stunned the Bush administration by bringing a violent militant group to power.

Despite President George W. Bush's continued public focus on democratization, analysts say U.S. policy-makers saw the Hamas victory in the Palestinian territories as part of a potentially dangerous trend following democratic gains for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In each instance, elections were seen to boost adversaries of U.S. ally Israel, and in the case of Hamas and Hezbollah, groups labeled as terrorist organizations by Washington.

The experience in Iraq, which U.S. officials once envisioned as the catalyst for democratic change in Arab countries, has emerged instead as a disturbing symbol of sectarian strife.

more…
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=reutersEdge&storyID=2006-10-12T163729Z_01_N12321486_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-DEMOCRACY.xml&WTmodLoc=HealthNewsHome_R3_reutersEdge-1&rpc=92

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. kick!

"Washington is now largely silent about actions taken by Middle East regimes to suppress political opposition."

[gratuitous]

2. Republicans are well advised to keep quiet about their mistakes

But I don't think Democrats need to observe any such restraint. For decades we've neglected and abused wide swaths of countries all over the world, trampling on people's rights while propping up dictators and thugs. Then, when we have a plebiscite on how those people feel toward themselves and us, surprise, surprise, it turns out they don't like us very much.

[CJCRANE]

3. Bush Neocons seen retreating from democracy push.

Reuters needs to get the terminology right.