So You Want a New American Empire?

"Some delegates to the meeting saw Egypt's objections as a reflection of the Arab world's growing irritation with what some say is the lecturing tone of American calls for democracy. United States involvement in Iraq plays a part in that: the Arab world is not persuaded by the administration's portrayal of Iraq, which Secretary Rice visited on Friday, as a beacon for democracy.

"Rather, they say, Iraq represents the perils of imposing democracy from outside. Its violence is widely seen as offering a cautionary tale rather than an inspiration, American officials acknowledge."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/13/international/middleeast/13rice.html?th&emc=th

*************************************************************************

"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." George Santayana.

The British Empire dominated 1/4 of the world's population (i.e. administered countries rather than permitting democratic rule in them until their empire went broke after WW2). Many hoped at that time for the emergence of democracy in the former colonies, British and others -- such a hope was blasted in many if not all of the former British possessions, particularly in Africa and the Middle East where corrupt and autocratic regimes rapidly replaced early democratic efforts -- not infrequently following supporting interventions _against_ democracy by the U.S. (CIA) and others interested in retaining corporate dominance over the resources of the former colonies -- Iran to Guatemala.

Needless to say the neocon efforts towards reestablishing today a neo American empire in the Middle East set the stage for comparable disasters -- bankruptcy for the home country (us) and chaos for those afflicted by our interventions and impositions of a notion of democracy apparently based on Texas styled free enterprise:

"The administration did, however, get backing for a $50 million foundation to support political activities in the Muslim world, with money to be raised from American, European and Arab sources, and a $100 million fund half financed by the United States to provide venture capital to businesses." (also from the same NY Times article today)

Caveat emptor! The angered gods may not comply.
--

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CollegeConversation

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PeaceEfforts

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EndingPoverty

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/440neighborhood

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StudentConcerns

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AcademicFreedom

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PrivacyRights

http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/

http://www.bloggernews.net/blognews.asp