More on the Egypt question

Charles A. Kupchan, professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, wrote an op-ed for the August 16th New York Times titled, "Democracy in Egypt Can Wait."   He expands on something I have struggled with:   Do we push democracy on nations that are not prepared for it, and does that sometimes makes things worse for their people?

Kupchan writes:

"Across the Middle East, glimmerings of democracy ae being snuffed out by political turmoil and violence.

"That reality requires a sobering course correction in American policy.  Rather than viewing the end of autocracy's monopoly in the region, Washington should downsize its ambition and work with transitional governments to establish the foundations of responsible, even if not democratic, rule. . . . "

This runs counter to the drumbeat from hawks, like Sens. McCain and Graham, and from anti-Obama forces who just relish another thing to blame on Obama's "weakness."   Kupchan continues:

"But while Washington must unequivocally condemn the violence unleashed by the Egyptian military, clamoring for a rapid return to democracy is misguided. . . .   [T]he penchant for rushing transitional states to the ballot box often does more harm than good, producing dysfunctional and illiberal regimes. . . .  

"Rather than cajoling Cairo to hold elections and threatening to suspend aid if it does not, Washington should press the current leadership to adhere to clear standards of responsible government. . . . 

"At this fragile moment in Egypt's political awakening, the performance of its government will be a more important determinant of its legitimacy and durability than whether it won an election. . . .  In nations that lack experience with constitutional constraints and democratic accountability, electoral victors usually embrace winner-take-all strategies;  they shut out the opposition, govern as they see fit and unsettle their neighbors. . . .

"Incremental change produces more durable results;  liberal democracies must be constructed from the ground up.   Constitutional restraint, judicial reform, political parties, economic privatization -- these building blocks of democratic societies need time to take root. . . .  

"The United States should do what it can to shepherd the arrival of liberal democracy in Egpyt and other parts of the Middle East.  But the best way to do that is to go slow and help the region's states build functioning and resopnsible governments.  Democracy can wait."

This makes sense to me.

If only our politicians and our frenetic media were mature enough to stop and think it through -- instead some elements are rushing headlong into dismantling some of the key building blocks of our own democracy, willful voter suppression being one.

Ralph