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REMARKS BY SENATOR JOHN McCAIN AT THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM IN JORDAN
October 23, 2011
Dead Sea, Jordan – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today delivered the following remarks at the World Economic Forum Special Meeting held at the Dead Sea, Jordan:
“Thank you, Klaus, for that generous introduction. And thank you for the opportunity to address this year’s World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea. Let me also express my gratitude to His Majesty King Abdullah, Her Majesty Queen Rania, and the government and people of Jordan, for once again being such gracious hosts.
“When this distinguished group gathered last year in Morocco to discuss the future of the Middle East and North Africa, no one predicted the circumstances in which we would be meeting this year.
“The Ben Ali regime in Tunisia, the Mubarak regime in Egypt, the Qaddafi regime in Libya, and now Qaddafi himself – all are gone. The Assad regime in Syria is fighting, brutally and unconscionably, for its survival. It is unclear who controls Yemen. Every country in the region has been shaken by popular demonstrations of some degree this year. Meanwhile, the global economic recovery is more volatile and more at risk than a year ago.
“Amid all of this upheaval and uncertainty, there are many reasons to be anxious and cautious about the future of this region. Passions and aspirations that had been pent up for decades are now being unleashed.
“Expectations could not be any higher. At the same time, dark forces in this region, especially in Iran, are working harder than ever to hijack the promise of what many are calling the Arab Spring.
“These concerns are real, and legitimate, and merit our vigilance, but if we dwell only on them, we miss the broader picture.
“I have traveled this year to nearly every country in the Middle East and North Africa. And whether it is in Tunisia, or Egypt, or Libya, or elsewhere, I have met people, especially young people, who are overflowing with a sense of dignity. They have expanded the reach of justice further and faster than anyone thought possible. And many of them tell me that, for the first time in their lives, they feel proud about their countries. They deserve to be.
“For decades, we in the United States were fed the belief that the so-called Arab Street was hostile to our interests and ideals. But now we are seeing that the opposite is true: The Arab Street wants political freedom, economic opportunity, equal justice and rights, and the chance to change their countries and their governments – not through suicide and murder, but peacefully, through politics.
“If I take any consolation in the fact that Osama bin Laden evaded justice for as long as he did, it is because he got to witness his fellow Arabs and Muslims rise up for democracy this year and demolish the foundation of every hateful thing he believed.
“There has always been politics in the Middle East. But until now, politics had rarely offered people a path to improve their lives. That is what is changing. And it is through politics that people in this region are now seeking answers to the most fundamental questions facing them: How to balance religious guidance and democratic responsibilities? How to reconcile the undeniable benefits of the free market with popular demands for greater equality? How to bring armed groups of all kinds, from small militias to state militaries, under unified civilian authority?
“It is the people of this region, not the United States or any other foreign power, who will provide the answers to these and other important questions. But that is not to say, as some suggest, that American leadership is neither welcomed nor wanted in the Middle East today.
“To the contrary: As I travel across this region, I have met with heads of state and young democratic activists, business leaders and military officers, and many others. And nearly every single one of them wants more American leadership, not less. Yes, many people in this region may be frustrated or angry with the United States, but it is more likely because they think we are not doing enough to take their side, support their cause, or act in ways consistent with our values.
“There is a perception here that the United States only supports democracy in the Middle East if it brings to power people or groups that we like. That is the wrong way to think about the issue. As the Middle East becomes more democratic, many groups that had until recently been excluded from politics, especially Islamist groups, are now joining the political process. This is just a fact.
“America should welcome the inclusion in the democratic process of any person or group, regardless of what they believe, provided they have renounced violence for political purposes and are committed to the basic ground rules of democracy.
“Furthermore, we should evaluate any freely and fairly elected government not by the personalities or groups that compose it, but by the actions that government takes – whether it works for peace and security, whether it abides by the rule of law and its international agreements, whether it protects the basic rights of its people, including religious freedom and minority rights, and how it manages its nation’s economy. Islamist parties can play an important role in making responsible policies like these, and we encourage their efforts to do so.
“The people I meet throughout this region are not concerned that American support will discredit their cause. That is more a fixation of American minds. The concern I hear most often expressed is that American support will not be extended to them.
“People in the Middle East are risking more than ever today for the sake of their own freedom and opportunity, and what they want to know from us is: does America stand with them? Can they count on America’s support? Will America run risks of its own to support their aspirations – not just when that support is most convenient for us, but when it is most wanted, most needed, and most urgently sought by them?
“This is increasingly the question about Syria. The Assad regime has spilled too much blood to stay in power. Its days are numbered, but it will use those days to murder more of its own people. In this way, there is no moral distinction whatsoever between the case of Syria and that of Libya. The question is, what can be done about it?
“The Syrian revolution may now be entering a new phase. The opposition has formed the Syrian National Council and is seeking to better organize itself. There are increasing reports of defections from the army. More Syrians appear to be taking up arms against the regime. There are even growing calls among the opposition for some kind of foreign military intervention.
“We hear these pleas for assistance. We are listening to and engaging with the National Council. And now that military operations in Libya are ending, there will be renewed focus on what practical military options might be considered to protect civilian lives in Syria. The Assad regime should not assume that it can get away with mass murder.
“Qaddafi made that mistake, and it cost him everything.
"Iran’s rulers would be wise to heed a similar counsel. Their plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador in Washington has only reminded Americans of the threat posed by this regime – how it is killing Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan, supporting violent groups across the region, destabilizing Arab countries, propping up the Assad regime, seeking nuclear weapons, and trampling on the dignity of Iran’s people.
“No issue unifies the American people, and their representatives in Congress, more than the need to protect our friends, our allies, and our interests from the comprehensive threat posed by the Iranian regime. No one should test our resolve on this matter.
“Beyond security and politics, the people and leaders I meet across this region are perhaps most eager for American support for their economic aspirations.
“That, as much or more than any other issue, is what first sparked the Arab Spring. And that, in large part, will be most decisive in whether the Arab Spring succeeds – for if democracy does not meet people’s expectations for jobs, and opportunity, and a better life, the backlash against it could be harsh. As one young woman told me in Tunisia, ‘It is not the first election we worry about; it is the second election.’
“In this regard, the major economic challenge for the Middle East is similar to that faced by young democracies in Latin America over the past two decades: how to maintain popular support for free market policies that foster economic growth, while developing responsible social policies that enable more people, especially the poor and the disadvantaged, to share in the benefits of that growth.
“In an economic context, if the democratic aspirations of the Arab Spring can be translated into sound policies that reduce poverty and inequality, the Middle East will have a far more durable and sustainable model of economic development.
“That is a big ‘if,’ I know. But there is no turning back now. And here, too, people I meet across this region, especially young people, are eager for American leadership. They appreciate our foreign aid, but far more than that, they want our investment, our technical assistance, and access to our economy, so they can provide for themselves.
“The single most powerful tool that America has to support the Arab Spring is free trade. And we need think a lot bigger about using it.
“For example, I can envision a regional trade agreement between the United States and the transitional states of North Africa, from Morocco to Egypt. Such an agreement could not only boost trade between us, but it could also enable those countries to expand trade among themselves, and ultimately to transform their region into the thriving nexus of north-south and east-west commerce that it can and should be. We could explore a similar idea with our friends along the Gulf, including Iraq.
“Are there obstacles and limitations to ideas like these? Of course there are. But the United States should never allow the primary problem to be our own lack of will and imagination.
“This is no time for America to be taken in by self-fulfilling prophesies of our own decline. There is simply too much riding on the outcome of the Arab Spring. Indeed, it is already having implications far beyond this region.
“I have met people from Burma, and Belarus, and Cuba who are inspired by the people of this region. I think the Chinese and Russian governments are more anxious today about their own people’s repressed desire for greater liberty. The Arab Spring may have been born here, but its aspirations are universal, and its impact will be too.
“America did not cause the Arab Spring, but we must help its cause succeed. The people of the Middle East and North Africa are looking right now to see who their true friends are. It may take them a month.
“It may take them a year. It may take them a decade. But eventually, they will gain control of their own destinies, and when they do, they will long remember who stood with them in their hour of greatest need.”
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