Friends Without Benefits
Is it smart for the Bush administration to ally with dictatorships in order to fight Islamic extremism?
An article in The Economist on American relations with Ethiopia got me thinking about this question. Since 9/11, a range of ghoulish dictators and autocrats from across the globe have witnessed their ties with the United States improve dramatically. Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan, Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, the Saudis, and Ethiopia’s Meles Zenawi are just a few examples that come to mind.
So, what can explain these autocrats increasingly friendly relations with the United States? It’s simple, actually. They’ve all labeled themselves as anti-terrorist — and somehow, that seems to be enough to get on our good side these days. “Everybody is playing the counterterrorism card on the Bushies,â€? a former intelligence officer quoted by Harpers pointed out. “All you have to do is say ‘counterterrorism,’ …and you’ll be given guns, money, and trucks.â€?
Putting aside for a moment the serious moral issues of such a policy, is this even a good strategy?
