The second fascinating political development in the expanding Arab reform industry this week was the blunt statement by the United Arab Emirates defense minister and Dubai crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who hosts a three-day gathering in Dubai called the Arab Strategy Forum. In his comments opening the meeting Monday, he spoke directly to his "fellow Arab leaders," and warned them that if they did not change, they would be changed. He said: "If you do not initiate radical reforms that restore respect for public duty and uphold principles of transparency, justice and accountability, then your people will resent you and history will judge you harshly." The very explicit warning was that lousy leaders would be changed, presumably by their own people, but, in view of recent American military moves in Afghanistan and Iraq, perhaps also by well-armed and interventionist foreign powers.
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Posted by
keza
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Published:
2004-12-16