In a post sure to make our friends at the Cato Institute heads’ explode, I’d like to take this opportunity to say that the events in Egypt and Tunisia are strong evidence (if not outright proof) that George W. Bush was right in invading Iraq.
While few of us would argue that the “occupation” was well-managed, or that there wasn’t a great deal of corruption, waste, and stupidity involved (Bremer, Abu-Ghraib, no WMD other than tons of yellowcake), the fact remains that Bush’s goal was nothing short of the reformation of the Middle East. If you’ve been reading the headlines, that project is proceeding nicely.
I’m sure many will point out that “democracy” doesn’t always produce the results we, as Americans, might want. Even now, the right is freaking out about the Muslim Brotherhood and “radical Islam.”
Here is the point. If 9/11 proved anything, it was that the idea of “stability” at the hands of dictators (Saudis or Mubarak) isn’t at all stable. We should have learned that lesson in 1979 with the Shah.
What appears to be happening in the Middle East right now is a falling of the dictator dominoes. The first domino was tipped when the world saw the photos of the purple fingers in Iraq.
None of this is easy, and it is very likely that things will get a bit uglier before they improve. Fact is, when you have a tiger by the tail, you are going to have to let go sometime and suffer the consequences.
Count me in as one of the few optimists who thinks this is all for the better in the long run.
