Time for reform

Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011 | 2:05 a.m.

On a trip this week to meet with Arabic leaders in the Middle East, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saw great potential to expand economic opportunities in the region but also took notice of its high unemployment. That set the stage for her appearance Thursday at the Forum for the Future, a regional development conference in Doha, Qatar, where she made references to the lack of political reform in the Middle East.

Clinton aptly said: “While some countries have made great strides in governance, in many others people have grown tired of corrupt institutions and a stagnant political order. They are demanding reform to make their governments more effective, more responsive, and more open.”

In recognizing the distinct challenges facing each Arabic nation, she later said that “in too many places, in too many ways, the region’s foundations are sinking in the sand.”

Her remarks could not have been more timely. This week, Lebanon witnessed the collapse of the government led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri after ministers representing the Islamic militant group Hezbollah withdrew their support. There was also upheaval in Tunisia, where President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali fled the country following riots fueled by allegations of corruption in his government.

Terrorist groups such as al-Qaida thrive on this kind of instability. Corruption, poverty and suppression of freedom in many of those Arab countries breed disenchantment among the youth and make it easier for terrorist organizations to recruit them. It is time Arab leaders get their own houses in order and embrace more open societies that give all of their citizens a greater chance to succeed in life. Arab nations also should apply pressure to Palestinians to make peace with Israel.

Israel is proof that a democratic form of government, complete with a free press and equality for women, can thrive in the Middle East. If other Middle Eastern nations followed suit, chances are terrorism would rapidly dissipate, global tensions would ease and the world could progress toward a more hopeful and productive future.

It was disingenuous for a reporter from the Arab news agency Al-Jazeera to press Clinton on why the United States can’t get Israel to make peace with the Palestinians. As the Associated Press reported, Clinton responded that Israel has reasons to be cautious because when it pulled out of Gaza, she said, “they got Hamas and 20,000 rockets.” The more appropriate question for Al-Jazeera to ask would have been, why aren’t Arab nations doing their part to advance the peace process?

There won’t be lasting peace and prosperity in the Middle East until Arab leaders shed their medieval ways and help clear the way for reform. Because they continue to stand on the sidelines, they allow terrorism to fester, women to be treated as second-class citizens and dangerous strongmen such as Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to consolidate power in the region. There is only so much the United States can do to help stabilize the Middle East. The heavy lifting should be done by Arab nations themselves because they stand to gain much should lasting peace and prosperity finally take hold in that region.