Other Parties Guilty

Alon Ben-Meir, professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU and is the Middle East project director at the World Policy Institute in New York, explains "Why U.S. policy is a total failure" or, in other words that The Bush administration's efforts to promote democracy in the Mideast seem to have collapsed on the White House doorstep.

and writes:

The administration exerted tremendous pressure on Israel to allow Hamas to participate in the Palestinian elections without demanding that Hamas first disarm. Led by Fatah, the corrupt and undisciplined Palestinian Authority was unable to mount a successful challenge to Hamas, and no liberal political party existed to step into the vacuum and present an alternative to the better financed, organized and disciplined Hamas.

To make matters worse, the administration misassessed terribly the political realities in the territories and so could do very little to prevent Syria and Iran from manipulating Hamas, which was willing to carry out the misdeeds plotted by Syria and Iran. The reality is that however free and fair an election, this does not translate automatically to a democracy. The administration's failure to consider all other elements without allowing for time to nurture a home-grown democratic form of governing has led to illiberal democracy at best, and political turmoil and violence at worst.

Pressure, yes but Sharon and Olmert gave in without explaining to their citizens that Israel is being forced. That is also a failure and almost a crime.