Democracy and justice

IN THE NEWS
At last, after some dark postings on this blog, some good news to share. In fact two stories, one from Afghanistan, and the other from Saudi Arabia.

An Afghan court has convicted three American "contractors" (read: mercenaries)--Jonathan Idema, Brent Bennett, and Edward Caraballo--to sentences of eight to ten years each for the mistreatment of prisoners. I almost added the phrase, in their custody, to the end of that last sentence, except it would have granted a legitimacy to these three men's actions that would be wholly undeserved. While Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has done his best to blur the lines of command and authority between the US military and mercenaries, it's not hard to see justice done in this conviction. Who knows how much wink wink nudge nudge happened between Idema, a former Special Forces officer, and his military contacts occurred. There's a live by the sword, die by the sword form of justice at work: even if there had been a covert relationship, there was no public mandate for Idema and associates to imprison and torture Afghan terrorist suspects.

The Washington Post reporter who covered the story embellished it with some colorful details about the trial. Worth reading for both the entertainment value and the satisfaction that, even if an American military or civilian court can't mete out real punishment for the abuse of prisoners, the Afghans can. (The same court convicted four Afghan employees of Idema's firm to terms of one to four years in prison.)

In Saudi Arabia, the "glacier in the desert" of political change crawls forward. For the first time in 41 years, the royal family is letting candidates stand for local elections. OK, so it's only for half the seats on these councils; the royal family will appoint the other half. And it's not exactly the Saudi regime's version of throwing open the doors to democratic reform. It is an important step, however, at a time when the royal family's legitimacy has plummeted. Economic opportunities have evaporated. Indigenous terrorists are fighting a civil war against the government, as most dramatically in the Khobar hostage crisis. As anti-Western Islamists gain new adherents throughout the Islamic world, as a side effect, more people become convinced of the Saudi regime's corruption and illegitimacy. US public opinion has turned against the Saudis. (If anyone else heard the Saudi government's "We're your bestest buddies!" radio ad, let me know if you were as creeped out as I was.) The Saudi oilfields have finally seen peak production, so the economic leverage the Saudis once had--based on the perception of limitless wealth--has shrunk. And, throughout the kingdom, there's a general mix of malaise and resentment from many groups that Western journalists might ignore or miss, but the average Saudi certainly has heard. (If you want a sample, read the archived postings at this blog, which is now sadly inactive.)

One of those discontented groups is Saudi women. While they're certainly grateful for not having to worry about being robbed, raped, kidnapped, or murdered, the way many Iraqi women fear, many smart, brave Saudi women are trying to make their voices heard. For a few details, read the Washington Post article linked above.

One thing I like about these stories is how they fly in the face of the paternalistic belief that Afghans, Saudis, and other people from that part of the world just aren't ready for democracy or the rule of law. That comes perilously close to making some Colonel Blimp-like comment about, "These people are savages!" Not only are the Western-educated Saudi women getting fed up with life in a velvet cage, but the movement has also spread to some of those who have never lived in the West. The demand for dignity, fairness, opportunity, and justice is something that you can truly hear across cultural and national boundaries. It's too bad that the Saudi royal family is questioning how ready the country is for extremely minor steps toward democracy, but statements like, "We'll see how this experiment will play out," is usually code for, "Let's see how embarassed we are when you start making legitimate criticisms of the current government."

What also struck me about this article was the sort of question that Saudi municipal candidates had. What sort of attacks should I expect from my opponent? How should I respond? Pretty pedestrian stuff, and it's clear that the candidates aren't struggling to understand what a ballot is.

So, at least two cheers, and perhaps three, to the Saudi municipal candidates. On the road from tyranny to democracy, perhaps they'll have a chance to wave to Vladimir Putin as he passes in the opposite direction.

Comments

[Oscar]

Yes, good news here, if woefully under-reported in the MSM. Glad you found it and brought it to my attention.

[ff14rmt]

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