Harry's Place

USA Today reports:
For the first time in a quarter-century of estrangement from Iran, the Bush administration is openly preparing to spend government funds in that country to promote democracy.
Congress has appropriated $3 million, and the State Department is inviting proposals from “educational institutions, humanitarian groups, non-governmental organizations and individuals inside Iran to support the advancement [...]

As I’ve noted here many times before, the Bush administration’s rhetorical commitment to spreading freedom worldwide doesn’t always carry over into real life.
The latest example is the US decision not to propose a resolution critical of China’s human rights policies at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Commission.
State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said China [...]

In their joint appearance after meeting in Slovakia Thursday, President Bush ended up treading lightly around Vladimir Putin’s increasingly authoritarian approach to governing Russia.
Bush took a mild, unprovocative approach, underscoring the challenge of nudging an ally without alienating him. He hailed the “tremendous progress” in Russia and the “amazing transformation of the nation,” giving Putin [...]

A crucial test for the sincerity of George W. Bush’s pro-freedom and pro-democracy rhetoric comes when he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday in Slovakia.
Bush has been loath to criticize the increasingly autocratic Putin since he suggested in 2001 that he found the Russian leader trustworthy after looking into his soul. As recently as last [...]

A followup to an earlier post about the visit of Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman to Washington this week, in the wake of a government crackdown against democratic political activists in Egypt:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday expressed “very strong concerns” about Egypt’s jailing of opposition leader Ayman [...]

An early test of the Bush administration’s commitment to promoting democracy in the Middle East is coming up, according to Washington Post columnist Jackson Diehl.
The appearance of Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman in Washington this week should bring to a head a bold attempt by their country’s strongman, Hosni [...]

Most of President Bush’s State of the Union address to Congress Wednesday was devoted to domestic issues. That means I disagreed with most of what he said– especially about the need to “save” Social Security with private accounts. (It was good to hear some Democrats shouting “No!” at his dubious assertions about coming collapse of [...]

President Bush’s January 20 inaugural address– with its inspiring words about the USA as a force for democracy and freedom worldwide– helped create a niche for us on the democratic, pro-liberation Left.
Many of Bush’s rightwing supporters– while praising his commitment– will no doubt give him a free pass on his willingness to implement it. Whatever [...]