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April 5, 2006
The Fukuyama-Garfinkle Muddle on Terrorism and Fostering Democracy
Topics: War on Terror - the issues.Francis Fukuyama And Adam Garfinkle wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal titled "A Better Idea". They argue, "Promote democracy and prevent terrorism--but don't conflate the two."
Professor Fukuyama is currently the Bernard L. Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy and Director of the International Development Program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He is best known for his, The End of History and the Last Man. Professor Garfinkle is editor of the American Interest, and has taught U.S. foreign policy and Middle East politics at the University of Pennsylvania, Haverford College, and Tel Aviv University.
Any op-ed by such high-powered academics is worth reading, thinking about, and responding to, which I will do seriatim. They wrote:
As an editorial in The Wall Street Journal recently asked: "Anyone out there have a better idea" than the Bush administration's policy of high-profile democracy promotion in the Arab and Muslim worlds as a means to fight terrorism? Well, yes, there is one. That better idea consists of separating the struggle against radical Islamism from promoting democracy in the Middle East, focusing on the first struggle, and dramatically changing our tone and tactics on the democracy promotion front, at least for now.
RJR: Promoting democracy and fighting terrorism are one in the same. Democracies do not as a matter of policy promote or sponsor terrorism, understood as murdering unarmed and innocent men, women, and children to promote a political or religious cause.
(Continued here)
Posted by Rudy at April 5, 2006 10:25 PM
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