It's a Democracy Thing

Fire of Liberty

I just finished reading Duncan Curre November 23, 2005 article in the Weekly Standard on President Bush's week long trip to Asia and noticed how unwavering the President is in his devotion to the democractic values we hold dear. If you could hack through all the anti-Iraq rhetoric in the US Congress and the media's continued promotion of such feather ruffling, then you would know that the President held Japan, Taiwan and South Korea as nations that have fully embraced democracy and how China and North Korea could learn a lot from these beacon's of freedom. Now I know that their is a lot of critics out there who keep yammering on and on about how the President shouldn't naively impose American styled democracy on the rest of the world but I think they fail to see that the President is actually promoting the time honored principles of freedom and democracy that Presidents like Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Wilson, FDR and Reagan have always promoted. In fact, the President presented a clearly defined and well reasoned argument for how countries with differing societies and cultures can flourish by adopting the various ideas of democracy. Here's a look at the President's views on democracy promotion:

The president also made a broader point about democratization: Each nation must find its own path. That is, exporting democracy does not mean exporting American democracy. It means exporting such values as freedom of expression, property rights, the rule of law, constitutionalism, and representative government--and then letting individual cultures sort out the details. Seen in this light, the Bush Doctrine is hardly a function of cultural imperialism (as its critics on the left charge) or Utopian idealism (as its critics on the right protest).

"As you embraced democracy," Bush told his Japanese audience, "you adapted it to your own needs and your own circumstances. So Japanese democracy is different from American democracy. You have a prime minister--not a president. Your constitution allows for a monarchy that is a source of national pride." Which is how it should be. Democratic practices and institutions, if they are to survive, must be tailored to a people's distinct traditions and social mores. You can't fit a square peg into a round hole; and you can't expect the seeds of democracy to flourish without taking proper measure of the soil in which you're planting them. As Bush put it, "Japan is a good example of how a free society can reflect a country's unique culture and

history--while guaranteeing the universal freedoms that are the foundation of all genuine democracies."

"I have experienced this transformation of your country in a highly personal way," he explained. "During World War II, my father and a Japanese official named Junya Koizumi were on opposite sides of a terrible war. Today, their sons serve as elected leaders of their respected nations. Prime Minister Koizumi is one of my best friends in the international community. We have met many times during my presidency. I know the prime minister well. I trust his judgment. I admire his leadership. And America is proud to have him as an ally in the cause of peace and freedom."

I have to say that the same can emerge within Iraq, China, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Burma, Cuba and other nations darkened by tyranny. The only problem is to get the media to pay attention to what the President has been saying about freedom and democracy since 9/11. In fact, this lack of the MSM attention is the main reason why blogs, talk-radio and internet news-sites are so popular.