Democracy Domino Theory ‘Not Credible’
A State Department report disputes Bush’s claim that ousting Hussein will spur reforms in the Mideast, intelligence officials say.
By Greg Miller, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — A classified State Department report expresses doubt that installing a new regime in Iraq will foster the spread of democracy in the Middle East, a claim President Bush has made in trying to build support for a war, according to intelligence officials familiar with the document.
The report exposes significant divisions within the Bush administration over the so-called democratic domino theory, one of the arguments that underpins the case for invading Iraq.
The report, which has been distributed to a small group of top government officials but not publicly disclosed, says that daunting economic and social problems are likely to undermine basic stability in the region for years, let alone prospects for democratic reform.
Even if some version of democracy took root — an event the report casts as unlikely — anti-American sentiment is so pervasive that elections in the short term could lead to the rise of Islamic-controlled governments hostile to the United States.
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Nate Scoble
Dear Lance and pnac.info:
Your site is an invaluable resource for all of us trying to restore the US to being a sane democracy – I know many argue we never were in the first place, but at any rate, we used to be more democratic and sane than we now are.
I am making use of many of your posted texts to write materials for Neighbors for Peace and Justice, a social-justice group in Los Angeles. You may visit the Neighbors site, which includes an extensive archive of texts as well, at http://www.neighborsforpeaceandjustice.org
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