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I like it:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Monday criticized autocratic U.S. allies and praised democratic reformers throughout the Middle East in a policy speech laying out the principles and goals of the Bush administration's democracy campaign.

Speaking to an invitation-only audience at the American University in Cairo, Rice mixed tough rhetoric with assurances that the United States is not planning to impose democracy. The United States, she said, "has no cause for false pride and we have every reason for humility."

Calling the ideal of democracy "universal," she noted that "for 60 years, my county, the United States, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in this region . . . and we achieved neither. Now, we are taking a different course. We are supporting the democratic aspirations of all people."
...
After the address, Rice met with Ayman Nour, the opposition candidate whose campaign has been repeatedly harassed by the government, as well as representatives of other opposition parties. Rice had canceled a planned visit to Egypt in February when the government did not immediately release Nour from jail on what American officials considered trumped-up charges.

In the speech, Rice also criticized another close ally, Saudi Arabia, where "many people pay an unfair price for exercising their basic rights." She noted that three people are currently in jail for petitioning the government and declared, "That should not be a crime in any country." Rice was scheduled to fly to Riyadh later today to meet with Saudi officials.

Bonus points that it's a powerful woman visibly speaking out in that region.

Posted by Bill at June 20, 2005 12:32 PM | TrackBack (0)

Comments

Posted by: mcg at June 20, 2005 05:34 PM

Posted by: Mark J at June 20, 2005 07:51 PM

Posted by: Bill from INDC at June 20, 2005 08:40 PM

Posted by: beautifulatrocities at June 21, 2005 08:11 AM

Posted by: Bill from INDC at June 21, 2005 08:26 AM