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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMitt Romney: Arab Spring Could've Been Avoided By Bush's 'Freedom Agenda'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/27/mitt-romney-arab-spring_n_1710038.html
In an interview with the right-wing Israeli daily newspaper Israel Hayom, Mitt Romney said that the Arab Spring might never have happened had Bush's "freedom agenda" not been prematurely halted by President Barack Obama.
"President (George W.) Bush urged (deposed Egyptian President) Hosni Mubarak to move toward a more democratic posture, but President Obama abandoned the freedom agenda and we are seeing today a whirlwind of tumult in the Middle East in part because these nations did not embrace the reforms that could have changed the course of their history, in a more peaceful manner," Romney said.
Romney argued that with the rise of democratically elected Islamist governments in some of the countries undergoing revolutions -- Egypt and Tunisia in particular -- the Arab Spring has turned out to be less of a boon for Western interests than it initially appeared.
"Clearly we're disappointed in seeing Tunisia and Morocco elect Islamist governments. We're very concerned in seeing the new leader in Egypt as an Islamist leader. It is our hope to move these nations toward a more modern view of the world and to not present a threat to their neighbors and to the other nations of the world," he said.
malaise
(267,828 posts)He should STFU.
NYC Liberal
(20,132 posts)which means less money for war profiteers.
nobodyspecial
(2,286 posts)We have a winner.
catbyte
(34,174 posts)but it's still just word salad.
Diane
Anishinaabe in MI & mom to Taz, Nigel, and new baby brother Sammy, members of Dogs Against Romney, Cat Division
"Dogs Arent Luggage--HISS!
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,355 posts)and if they want to elect Islamist governments (assuming the elections are judged to be legit), aren't they supposedly "free" to do so?
Romney and the neocons (I guess) are fine with "freedom" as long as the outcomes are what THEY want, not necessarily what the people in these new "free" countries want?
Anyway, like Donald Rumsfeld said (re: Iraq looting): "Freedom's untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things." (not entirely applicable but he has a point about freedom being untidy and not always turning out like we'd like it to, which is, course, o.k.)
sinkingfeeling
(51,279 posts)up to Israel.
atreides1
(16,046 posts)As long as it's the bastardized form that the US has been dumping on other countries for decades...an elected dictator or tyrant and full and complete access to the natural resources of that country without consulting the people...typical!!!
dballance
(5,756 posts)Didn't we already try dragging countries out of a particular ideology we don't approve of in the '50s and '60s with disastrous results? Seems like most of our social engineering backfired. Hence the Bin Laden and the Taliban that we once supported and funded because they were the enemy of our enemy until that enemy was eliminated. Then we became their enemy.
We're just never going to learn that we don't have to right to dictate to countries on the other side of the world, and in Central and South America too, what form of government they should have. As long as those countries have natural resources or markets we want or want to control the USA is going to be the asshole bully of the world.
So be afraid US citizens. It's not the USA who's invading other countries for their resources that is a problem. No, it's those evil Islamists who want to invade the USA and impose Sharia law on us that's scary and dangerous.
renegade000
(2,301 posts)all the neocons were trying to claim that the Arab Spring was evidence that Bush's invasion of Iraq had worked as planned
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,355 posts)Was it good a thing or a bad thing? The Repubs can't seem to make up their minds.
The Second Stone
(2,900 posts)is the take away here. His handlers are all former Bushistas trying to justify their war crimes and the idiot Romney is repeating what they tell him like it makes sense.
The real take away here is that Romney would delegate policy making to these same morons.