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Democracy Activists Disappointed in Bush
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Angered by U.S. policy toward Iraq and the Palestinians, Arab activists never gave Bush much credit for his democratization pressure. But they noticed when it slackened.
Middle East democracy activists these days say they wonder whether the United States has returned to the formula that Rice renounced in 2005: valuing the stability of autocratic Arab governments over the uncertainty of elected ones.
"We're already believers in what we're doing. But is there a partner there? Or are we alone in this now?" asked Rola Dashti, a candidate in Kuwait's 2006 elections, the first in which women there could vote, in a telephone interview from Kuwait City. Bush met with Dashti and other female political leaders in Kuwait during his trip.
On Wednesday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Bush made no public mention of Ayman Nour, the politician jailed by Egypt after he challenged Mubarak in the 2005 election, finishing a distant second. Nour's supporters accuse the government of trumping up the charges -- forging election petitions -- that sent Nour to prison.
Bush also made no public mention of human rights in Egypt, a country where complaints of police torture remain widespread.
In parliamentary elections this summer, riot police openly blocked voters in some opposition areas from entering polling stations. Authorities jailed Egyptian newspaper editors and bloggers for criticizing Mubarak, 79, or speculating on the state of his health.
Activists also accuse Mubarak's National Democratic Party of manipulating constitutional changes since the 2005 elections to ensure that only his party can field a viable candidate for president. Mubarak's son, Gamal, is seen as his most likely successor.
Bush spoke more forcefully on human rights while in the United Arab Emirates. Egyptians saw references to Egypt, and Nour, when Bush said, "You cannot build trust when you hold an election where opposition candidates find themselves harassed or in prison.
"You cannot expect people to believe in the promise of a better future when they are jailed for peacefully petitioning their government," he added. "And you cannot stand up a modern and confident nation when you do not allow people to voice their legitimate criticisms."
But activists said Bush was settling for less when he declined in the same speech to repeat the strong demands of the past for free elections -- emphasizing instead the importance of civic institutions such as universities and places of worship.
With Egypt's political opposition crushed since 2005, only Islamic movements, which already maintain networks of clinics and other aid for Egypt's poor, are positioned to exploit the economic unrest if they choose, said Kassem, the democracy activist.
Egypt "is failing economically," he said. "It's a question of time before there is a disaster, and when that happens, the only alternative in front of the people is the Brotherhood," he said, referring to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is officially outlawed but tolerated within limits.
