Nation building has an intrinsic appeal to Americans. It sounds like philanthropy on a global scale: help the downtrodden countries get on their feet and sow the enlightening seeds of democracy on their dark land, as we are doing in the Middle East. The benefit of having American allies to do our bidding and combat all those nasty, evil nations there helps too. But what if those new democracies suddenly become “uppity” and refuse to kowtow to American demands?

Egypt, where thousands of citizens are now openly calling for authoritarian Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster may soon become a prime example of the direction where Middle Eastern democracies are headed. On the surface, it seems exactly like the political change U.S. conservatives justify spending billions in Iraq and Afghanistan for. A nation rises up and demands their rights, refusing to submit to an oppressive government. They are on the verge of overthrowing the traditional military-style dictatorship and installing a parliamentary democracy. Now flowers will bloom, birds will sing, and American-friendly freedom shall ring from sand dune to shining sand dune.

Right?

The problem for America with democracies in other regions is that the people they elect might not be the most Western-friendly ones. The political organization that’s poised to seize power after Mubarak’s impending ouster is the Muslim Brotherhood- not exactly the Lets Help America Get Oil Party that we want. TIME magazine does a good job of profiling them- they seem to be similar to what Middle Eastern Islamic parties are going to be like. They are going to have peaceful intentions, but not necessarily be friendly to the U.S. and their interests. The Muslim Brotherhood, for example, is definitely not on as good terms with America as Mubarak. It also partners or sponsors with groups and political parties that the U.S. considers terrorist organizations. This list includes Hamas, Israel’s public enemy #1. Who, by the way, was democratically elected in Palestine.

There’s also a problem with rigged democracies. Countries without a strong democratic tradition and respect for rule of law are notorious for staging elections- see Iran and their election where the only qualification you need to vote is to be a Supreme Ayatollah, conveniently fulfilled by one person. The sad thing is that these democracies are normally born out of a revolution to overthrow a previous authoritarian government- it seems like all that happened was that a new dictator was installed. And if they don’t like the U.S., then it’s going to be another long-term threat.

When it comes to Egypt, America is in a bind as to how to react. Our dominant foreign policy paradigm has always equated democracy with pro-Americanism. However, in Egypt, we’re forced to choose between the two and decide: what do we want more, a government that satisfies our ideals, or one that satisfies our interests? Going with the former option will bring to power more potential enemies for us, while going for the latter will expose us as selfish hypocrites and create more potential enemies for us. It’s a lose-lose situation, and the U.S. government’s noncommittal response reflects this. Therefore, before we try to push democracy onto every nook and cranny in this globe, let’s be aware of the time-tested cliché: be careful what you wish for.


(Photo: joebeone)