President Bush called Thursday for democratic reforms in the Middle East, saying that "freedom can be the future of every nation." "The failure of Iraqi democracy would embolden terrorists around the world," the American president said during his speech.
The president said the United States and other nations shared blame for the lack of democratic freedoms in the Middle East.
"Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe because in the long run stability cannot be purchased at the expense of liberty," Bush said.
Bush said the Middle East was at a turning point and that "the global wave of democracy has barely reached the Arab states." Many countries in the region are mired in poverty and women lack rights and children are denied proper schooling.
"These are not the failures of a culture or a religion," the US leader said. "These are the failures of economic and political doctrine." He said countries like Iraq and Syria had promised their citizens national honor but left instead a legacy of torture and oppression.
"Instead of dwelling on past wrongs and blaming others, governments in the Middle East need to confront real problems and serve the true interests of their nations," Bush said.
"The good and capable people of the Middle East all deserve responsible leadership," he said. "For too long, many people in that region have been victims and subjects. They deserve to be active citizens."
"As long as the Middle East remains a place where freedom does not flourish, it will remain a place of stagnation, resentment and violence ready for export," Bush said. "And with the spread of weapons, that can bring catastrophic harm to our country and to our friends, it would be reckless to accept the status quo."
As a result, he said the United States "has adopted a new policy," which he described as "a forward strategy for freedom in the Middle East."
"This strategy requires the same persistence and energy and idealism we have shown before - and it will yield the same results," Bush said. "We believe that liberty is the design of nature. We believe that liberty is the direction of history."
Bush heralded steps toward democracy in some Mideast nations, mentioning Morocco, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
"Many Middle Eastern governments now understand that military dictatorship and theocratic rule are a straight smooth highway to nowhere," the president said.
He said Saudi Arabia was taking the first steps towards reforms with plans for its first local elections.
"By giving the Saudi people a greater role in their own society, the Saudi government can demonstrate true leadership in the region," Bush stated.
He said that Egypt "has shown the way toward peace in the Middle East and now can show the way toward democracy in the Middle East." "Champions of democracy in the region understand that democracy is not perfect," Bush said. "It is not the path of utopia ... ."
Bush said, "As we watch and encourage reforms in the region, we are mindful that modernization is not the same as westernization."
"Representative governments in the Middle East will reflect their own cultures," he said. "They will not and should not look like us."
On Iraq, Bush said "the Coalition Provisional Authority and the Iraqi Governing Council are also working together to build a democracy -- and after three decades of tyranny, this work is not easy. The former dictator ruled by terror and treachery, and left deeply ingrained habits of fear and distrust. Remnants of his regime, joined by foreign terrorists, continue their battle against order and against civilization. Our coalition is responding to recent attacks with precision raids, guided by intelligence provided by the Iraqis, themselves."
Bush pointedly criticized Iran and Palestinian leaders. "The regime in Tehran must heed the democratic demands of the Iranian people or lose its last claim to legitimacy," he said.
On the Palestinians, Bush said, "The Palestinian leaders who block and undermine democratic reform and feed hatred and encourage violence are not leaders at all," Bush said. "They are the main obstacles to peace and to the success of the Palestinian people."
