shanek
15th March 2003, 07:46 AM
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/03/14/1047583702494.html
A classified United States State Department report expresses deep scepticism that installing a new regime in Iraq will foster the spread of democracy in the Middle East - a claim President George Bush has made in trying to build support for a war - according to intelligence officials.
"Liberal democracy would be difficult to achieve," says one passage of the report, according to an intelligence official.
"Electoral democracy, were it to emerge, could well be subject to exploitation by anti-American elements."
The thrust of the document, the official said, "is that this idea that you're going to transform the Middle East and fundamentally alter its trajectory is not credible".
A classified United States State Department report expresses deep scepticism that installing a new regime in Iraq will foster the spread of democracy in the Middle East - a claim President George Bush has made in trying to build support for a war - according to intelligence officials.
"Liberal democracy would be difficult to achieve," says one passage of the report, according to an intelligence official.
"Electoral democracy, were it to emerge, could well be subject to exploitation by anti-American elements."
The thrust of the document, the official said, "is that this idea that you're going to transform the Middle East and fundamentally alter its trajectory is not credible".