Flight of Democracy

In a recent speech to the people of Brazil, the President of the United States said, "the future of the Arab world will be determined by its people." What he didn't say was that the future of the Arab world would be assisted by French and American air strikes.

Some years ago an author posited that relations between the Arab world and the North Atlantic world would turn into a "clash of civilizations." Many interpreters since then have taken this to mean a clash between a "Christian civilization" and a "Muslim civilization." In the decision to open an assault on Ghadafi's forces this weekend, however, I see a different clash: a confrontation between democracy and monarchy.

It appears from the present military action that Ghadafi's authority over the people of Libya--specifically, authority to control and punish rebels--no longer stands in the eyes of NATO. That is to say, because of a perceived shift in Libya's intramural politics, Ghadafi is no longer the rightful ruler of the country, no longer sovereign over his land. The people of Libya have spoken, and Ghadafi has not listened. But the French, the Americans and, as I write this, the Dutch, have heard loud and clear.

(It is a great irony of history that the French and Americans, along with the British, have been unwelcome interlopers in Arab politics at least since the beginning of the twentieth century.)

The message: if the monarchical leaders of the Arab world will not submit to the mandate of the people, then NATO will force them to do so. This is the emerging triumph for Arab peoples everywhere who want democracy. They need only cry out enough to get the attention of Western Europe and needle their monarchs into forceful action--and the military might of constitutional democracies will come to their aid.

Not so different from the history of the United States, whose own revolution depended on military might from France, Spain, and Holland. Of course, these three allies were absolute monarchies, not yet sold on the idea of democracies. We could argue that these three European helpers, had they realized what would happen to their own leadership after the image of the United States, might not have intervened.

Perhaps a similar realization has overcome the members of the Arab League, who now wish to step back from military action against Libya. After all, as one CNN report has suggested, the idea of attacking other Arabs brings more trepidation than failing to support a NATO action. Or maybe the concern is less the appearance of fratricide and more the paralyzing fear that if Ghadafi's monarchy has no legitimacy in the face of NATO air forces, neither will their own.

~emrys