Spreading Democracy

In his second inaugural, when President Bush laid out his vision of using democracy to conquer terrorism, it wasn't just words. It was a green light to the creation of democracy-spreading programs, on which the US government now spends $1 billion a year.

According to WaPo:

Democracy as commodity: In such a calculation, Operation Iraqi Freedom is one part of Bush's foreign policy; Yemen: Tribal Conflict Mitigation Program is another, along with hundreds of other programs funded under the Bush administration, such as Promoting Democracy Through Community Radio in Congo, $35,000; Supporting the Electoral Process in Mongolia, $109,725; and Increasing the Transparency and Accountability of Governmental Institutions in Moldova, $36,386.

The figures are cited in an artile that is the read of the day,US ideals meet reality in Yemen, outlining the challenges and limited accomplishments of Robin Madrid, a 60-something professional democracy spreader tasked with trying to teach democratic principles in a country that is in serious danger of failing and falling into chaos.

In a dangerous land, Madrid works with dangerous men, shieks of backward, war-torn regions:

Madrid learned about the lack of functioning schools and health clinics, the lack of police and courts, the lack of pretty much everything. They told her about how the simplest disagreement between two members of different tribes could result in words being exchanged, shots being fired, roads being blocked, villages being evacuated, houses being destroyed, lives being lost and full-blown wars. They explained that families of the dead are supposed to be compensated with blood money, but since no one has any money, justice revolves around revenge killings, which is what they were hoping to solve.

It's too early to tell if she will be successful in Yemen. The odds, frankly, are against her -- unless we question what qualifies "success." If it's the establishment of a fully functioning democracy, don't count on it.

But consider this: America has sent people to this country all but the terrorists have forgotten, and Yemeni leaders are seeing people like Madrid who believe passionately in democracy, and who start by teaching them how to meet -- having an agenda, keeping minutes; the fundamentals -- so they can work through problems that are killing their people.

Who else is doing that? Who else cares? The Yemeni shieks are seeing that only one country cares, America. And that's a new image for them of a country that has been villified to them throughout their lives.

And that in itself is a victory of great importance.