The Arabs' Berlin Wall has crumbled

Reposted as history. Originally posted in March of 2005.


By Mark Steyn - 03/01/2005 - The Daily Telegraph (U.K.)

This is not one of the best articles by Steyn I have ever read. You have to read through a little bit of bragging by Steyn. However it has a couple of important points about what Bush and the neocons have started in the middle east, and it ends with a powerful conclusion.

... Charles Johnson, whose Little Green Footballs website has done an invaluable job these past three years presenting the ugly truth about Palestinian death-cultism, reported that he went hunting around the internet for the usual photographs of deliriously happy Gazans dancing in the street and handing out sweets to celebrate the latest addition to the pile of Jew corpses - and, to his surprise, couldn't find any.

Why is all this happening? Answer: January 30.

The middle east has changed forever. This is a point being echoed throughout all recent articles from the middle east. It is interesting that Steyn accepts input from a blogger to support his point. However Steyn ends with a really important quote from another blogger, probably one of the most important new voices in America, Professor Glen Reynolds (Instapundit), "democratization is a process, not an event".

It is true. The tremendous explosion in the power of blogs is really a tribute to the power of the voice of the people. Steyn is one of the voices in the MSM who does not seem to fear the blogs or the bloggers.

Iraqi bloggers significantly influenced bloggers here in America druing the war to believe that there were people who were on our side. The communication we got from them was never reported in the MSM. They told us about the support of the Kurds and the Marsh Arabs and the secular Shiates. During the war bloggers in Iraq were the ones who said early on that Shiates in Iraq would not support Iran because they were Persians not Arabs. This was a time when democrats were still predicting that Iran would join Iraq in fighting us.

Now these same bloggers are transforming the middle east, as there too the new power of Internet communication is changing the ability of leaders to control the "truth". Bloggers there are still spreading the truth. "Democratization is a process". Communication is not all that it takes to make democracy happen. It also takes a desire for equality. However communication allows any people to express their demand for freedom. Democracy thrives on communication, because democracy is a process based on allowing the people to have their say. When everyone demands freedom and has a say, equality under the law is a byproduct.

Democracy is a process!

A powerful process that leads to freedom and peace. Not "peace" in chains, but a just peace. It is happening.