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Random, Relevant Paul Wolfowitz Comment.

Paul Wolfowitz is often the poster child for the "neocon cabal" running America, demonized by liberals as an agent of Israel. Wolfowitz is also often caricatured by left-wingers as a single-minded war-mongerer who wrecklessly took us to war in Iraq; Michael Moore's movie Fahrenheit 9/11 showed Wolfowitz unflatteringly, licking his fingers to fix his hair for a television interview in high winds.

With freedom on the march in nations around the world, often in peaceful revolutions rather than through direct military intervention, an anecdote Wolfowitz made in Congressional testimony (at the Senate Armed Services Committee) on February 3, 2005 needs to be mentioned:

"We've seen an incredible expanse of freedom in Central and Eastern Europe and, most recently, in Georgia and Ukraine.

It's stunning, and every one of those cases happened without American combat forces.

And I would hope that that is the kind of change we can see in the Middle East going forward.

And I hope the governments that feel, correctly, that they're being called upon to reform will understand that it's not to destabilize, it's not to bring about revolutions, but that in fact, I think, reform is the best way for them to preserve stability.

I go back, in fact, when I was ambassador to Indonesia and I had my farewell call on President Suharto, who was the dictator of that country at the time -- a mild dictator compared to Saddam Hussein, I would note, but a dictator nonetheless -- and he -- I talked in sort of oblique ways about the need to have political change in Indonesia and he talked less obliquely about the need to preserve stability.

And I said, 'Well, Mr. President, you talk about dynamic stability. You don't actually preserve stability by standing still. You have to move forward.'

And I would submit that what happened to him 10 years later is because he didn't move forward, because he tried to stop progress, because he tried to suppress civil society in Indonesia, because he drew more and more power around him.

And then there are examples elsewhere.

Taiwan's a stunning one. Actually, South Korea's a stunning one, where authoritarian leaders -- Spain is another one, actually, if you go back 30 years -- where authoritarian leaders have seen the need to prepare the way for something that's less authoritarian after them.

And it's possible, it happens -- the whole world is better off for it."

Dictators around the world are realizing, some too late for their own good, that the world is changing. They can either change with it, or become left behind by the advance of history. Under dictatorships, there is no stability, and with freedom on the march, we're beginning to see some tyrants understand this and acquiesce to democratization.

Some, however, grasp in vain to their power, clutching it for a few remaining moments of glory. History will not judge them kindly.

Posted by Will Franklin · 28 February 2005 04:20 PM

Comments

Posted by: Sekimori at March 5, 2005 08:34 AM

Posted by: Sekimori at March 5, 2005 08:34 AM

Posted by: Sekimori at March 5, 2005 08:36 AM

Posted by: Sekimori at March 5, 2005 08:38 AM

Posted by: Sekimori at March 5, 2005 08:39 AM

Posted by: FROG EATER at September 7, 2005 08:59 AM