With Wave of Democracy Comes a Watch

With the wave of pro-democracy sweeping across the Middle East and Africa comes a watch: Will those toppling old guards be replaced by governments less jihadistic, or more? Will they be less anti-Israel and anti-American, or more?

So, we watch.

We have Ayman al-Zawahri, bin Laden's deputy, crying to the rebels in Yemen. "We are with you in your uprising," he shouts. And, he warns against replacing one pro-American regime with another.

And, we have a Gallup Poll out of Egypt -- I didn't even know Gallup went into Egypt -- with 69 percent saying religious leaders should be allowed to influence legislation, but only 14 percent saying the religious clerics should have full say in drafting the laws and 9 percent saying they should have no authority.

I wonder how the poll would have went if they had asked whether the clerics should have but the same influence as the rest of the population. That is what I, and probably you, favor. For, why should a cleric -- unless he is elected -- have any special hand in writing legislation?

More on Egypt: We have the Muslim Brotherhood reinstated as a political party, and we read how their candidates -- simply as independents since they couldn't be on the ballot as party candidates -- won 20 percent of the vote in 2005. The Muslim Brotherhood, you may know, is of the anti-Israel extreme.


We've watched Egypt open a border passing into Gaza, effectively easing the blockade Israel tries to maintain in attempting to keep arms and weapons from reaching their enemies in Gaza.

We've wondered about the rebellion in Syria. Will the rebels lean closer to the jihads, or further away? The past week, the rebels pointed out that those trying to break across the border into Israel were paid by the Syrian government. Knowledge of this supported Israel's position, and we can only wonder if the Syrian rebels might be a little more friendly to Israel.

And, we've watched Libya. The conflict there has become America's Third War. We have Iraq (peacekeeping forces still there), we have Afghanistan, and now we have Libya, where now we have been fighting for three months. Three months amounts to more than a quick military intervention. It is war, even if no ground troops are involved. Has America ever been involved in three wars at once? I do not know.

To me, the uprisings in that part of the world are as slaves rising up against their masters. I wonder if history has even seen such a string of nation-after-nation revolts by the populace. Its a phenomenon I do not guess the world as ever seen.

I do not favor our vocally supporting only those rebellions that will bring pro-America governments. If we favor democracy, we should consider rooting for them all, even if our support comes grudgingly, for it is natural to want pro-American, pro-Israel governments. Perhaps some of the rebellions are not coming from the people, but just from the militant exteme, alone. In those cases, we need not feel the need to support them.

Well, we keep an eye out, anxious to see if the change in regimes will be more favorable to America and Israel. We watch.