“To Islamists, one man, one vote, one time, means dictatorship”

George W. Bush has placed democracy in the focus of his policy in the Middle East, a policy that has triggered the opposition from adversaries like Bachar El Assad, and pro-North Americans dictators like Hosni Mubarak. Bush might boast about the victory in the elections of Iraq and Palestine, but a vote is not an election.
Certainly, the United States is skeptical about the democratic process in Egypt, Tunisia, or the municipal elections in Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, it odes not share the same skepticism with regard to the Islamic movements that participate in the elections, when the only interest that the Islamists see in democracy is the control of the minority by the majority and the possibility to get to power. Once in power, they dream of establishing theocracies and suppress the right to vote. Today, the Bush administration is very condescending with the Hezbollah, with Hamas or with the Muslim Brothers. Condoleezza Rice, likewise, invited the members of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq to the White House. On the other hand, many people have interpreted the appointment of Laith Kubba of the National Endowment for Democracy as the spokesman of Ibrahim Al-Jaafari as a support to its Islamist program.
If true democracies are to be achieved, the democratic parties have to be supported, not the parties that want to use democracy.