Do We Really Believe in Democracy?
by James Glaser
June 21, 2007

The following is a report about how democracy worked in Palestine at the beginning of 2006.

Hamas Sweeps Palestinian Elections, Complicating Peace Efforts in Mideast
By Scott Wilson
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, January 27, 2006; Page A01

RAMALLAH, West Bank, Jan. 26 — The radical Islamic movement Hamas won a large majority in the new Palestinian parliament, according to official election results announced Thursday, trouncing the governing Fatah party in a contest that could dramatically reshape the Palestinians' relations with Israel and the rest of the world.

In Wednesday's voting, Hamas claimed 76 of the 132 parliamentary seats, giving the party at war with Israel the right to form the next cabinet under the Palestinian Authority's president, Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of Fatah.

Yes, it is true that this is not the election outcome that Washington wanted, but it was by all accounts a real democratic election, and Hamas was the party most Palestinians wanted.

Today it looks like Fatah, has done a coup, and has re-taken the government that they lost in the last election. Washington and Israel seem happy with this turn of events, and it has been said by many that we supplied the arms and money needed for Fatah to take back control, and that Israel has put many elected Hamas officials in jail.

The truth is, Washington has done nothing to help the democratically elected government of Palestine. All the talk about Democracy in the Middle East was just that, talk. If any government in the Middle East is not under our control, then they are a bad government and should be changed.

It is sad to say, but we, the United States subvert almost every election held around the globe. We pour money and expertise into every election, trying to get those we want elected. It is fine if we do that, but woe unto any country that even tries to interfere with our "free" elections.

Can you imagine how upset we would be if a foreign country jammed our news programs and broadcast their own about our government? We do that. Can you imagine if foreign countries came in here and supported a third party with money and paid for campaign workers? We do that too, and we have been doing that for decades.

How do you think the Iraqi government got elected or the Afghan president came to power? Heck, think about this. . . how do you think Saddam Hussein came to power? Our money and our CIA helped with each of these elections.

We subvert the democratic process around the globe, and it should be no surprise that we have done the same with this coup in Palestine. What is surprising is that Washington still claims that we want free elections and democracy in the Middle East. Free elections and democracy as long as our guy wins.

I'm not a fool, and I know this world is a hard place, and that we play politics around the globe to help our own interests, but that only worked while the world knew nothing of what we were doing. Now the jig is up, and everybody knows the score. Every country is now on the internet, and our policies and tactics are constantly exposed to those interested in what we are doing. They see the despots and dictators we support. Nobody believes this democracy game we are touting. They know it is a sham so the United States can control their government and their natural resources.

The world is no longer filled with those ignorant third world masses.

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