Democracy Is Gr8!

Bush administration plans for "the world's wealthiest nations to declare their support for democracy in the Middle East" at the G8 Summit this week are backfiring. The declaration "has strained relations with several important allies in the Arab world," including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan. The declaration's original name, "Greater Middle East Initiative," was changed to "Broader Middle East and North African Initiative," in response to concerns that "greater" suggests "imperial ambitions." Besides the declaration controversy, "this is not the time to be seen with the American president," explained one Arab diplomat. Missing from the list of invited Arab countries was Qatar, snubbed because it hosts the Al Jazeera network. "It's strange, having a summit declaration on democratic reforms and not inviting a country because it has a free press," remarked another diplomat.