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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, saying that the US has a role in democracy movements that continue to roil the Middle East, urged Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to embrace reform and Syria to accept protesters’ demands.
“These revolutions are not ours - they are not by us, for us, or against us, but we do have a role,” Clinton said in remarks to the National Democratic Institute, a democracy support organization based in Washington. “Fundamentally, there is a right side of history. We want to be on it. And without exception, we want our partners in the region to reform so that they are on it as well.”
Clinton addressed skepticism in both the Arab world and at home about US motives and commitments since the Arab Spring began with a Tunisian fruit vendor’s protest self-immolation in December 2010.
Developments in the months since then have raised the possibility of Islamic groups gaining political power in Egypt, highlighted differences in the way the US has approached protest movements in places like Bahrain and Syria and drawn questions about US opposition to unilateral Palestinian attempts to gain recognition.
While there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to democracy in the Arab world, such a movement is firmly in US interests and is a strategic necessity, Clinton declared.
“The greatest single source of instability in today’s Middle East is not the demand for change,” she said, “It is the refusal to change.”
Clinton said that held true for allies as well as others. She warned that, if the most powerful political force in Egypt remains a roomful of unelected officials, there will be future unrest.
She decried Iranian hypocrisy, saying that contrary to its claims to support democracy abroad, the gulf between rulers and the ruled is greater in Iran than anywhere else in the region. Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and others “trying to hold back the future at the point of a gun should know their days are numbered,” Clinton said.
To the king of Bahrain, where the US Fifth Fleet is based as a bulwark against Iranian aggression in the Gulf, Clinton said that reform was in the kingdom’s interest.
Officials there have used mass arrests to counter protests by majority Shiites demanding greater rights in the Sunni-led nation. Members of Congress have demanded an inquiry into human rights abuses before a planned arms sale to the kingdom goes through.
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I totally agree with Akbar Al Baker. Trade unions were created with splendid ideas then became political entities and take sides regardless of logics.... more
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Friday, 17 May 2013 1:44 AM - DisgustedIslam is not better than any other religion, to all the muslims out there, stop putting yourself on a pedestal, you are filled with self importance that... more
Tuesday, 14 May 2013 9:58 AM - graemeWorkers rights - there are none anywhere in the Gulf and I have been here over 20 years. You are still merely a 'temporary expatriate worker' whether ... more
Monday, 13 May 2013 9:40 AM - StevenEmirates pays its staff far lower than most other airlines and takes full advantage of the fact that most of their employees come from poorer economic... more
Friday, 17 May 2013 1:44 AM - DisgustedIslam is not better than any other religion, to all the muslims out there, stop putting yourself on a pedestal, you are filled with self importance that... more
Tuesday, 14 May 2013 9:58 AM - graeme
Who cares.......the most powerfull Arab is this NEWS
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