Quote Of The Day: The Reverse Domino-Effect

23 Feb, 2005 by John Hawkins

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I don’t want to say that I told you so but…wait, yes I do want to say, “I told ya so you liberals, told ya so!”

From an article I wrote back on April 14, 2004 called “Why We Invaded Iraq“…

“If a beachhead of democracy can be established in Iraq, there’s an excellent chance that we’ll see Democratic reforms start to sweep across the region where anti-American tyrants are keeping their populations in control by the skin of their teeth. The influence of a free Iraq could in time help lead to a free Iran, a free Syria, a free Lebanon, a free Saudi Arabia, a free Egypt, etc, etc. We’re not just shooting for an Iraqi Democracy, we’re hoping to see freedom spread across the entire region.”

Now here’s a quote from the The WAPO today,

“The leader of this Lebanese intifada [for independence from Syria] is Walid Jumblatt, the patriarch of the Druze Muslim community and, until recently, a man who accommodated Syria’s occupation. But something snapped for Jumblatt last year, when the Syrians overruled the Lebanese constitution and forced the reelection of their front man in Lebanon, President Emile Lahoud. The old slogans about Arab nationalism turned to ashes in Jumblatt’s mouth, and he and Hariri openly began to defy Damascus…

“It’s strange for me to say it, but this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq,” explains Jumblatt. “I was cynical about Iraq. But when I saw the Iraqi people voting three weeks ago, 8 million of them, it was the start of a new Arab world.” Jumblatt says this spark of democratic revolt is spreading. “The Syrian people, the Egyptian people, all say that something is changing. The Berlin Wall has fallen. We can see it.”“

Could freedom in Iraq help lead to freedom in Lebanon? Yes, it could and that’s one of the things George Bush and the other supporters of the war, myself included, were hoping to see. A Reverse-Domino effect that could help free people all over the region…

Hat tip to TKS for the quote.