The New Bush Doctrine
by George Soros, TomPaine.com Exclusive
Bush ignores an essential element of democracy: the recognition that nobody possesses the ultimate truth.
If you're going to end tyranny in the world, writes George Soros, you have to respect and understand how open societies work. Bush does not—and his inaugural address shows this clearly. While Bush is right when he says what goes on inside other countries is of vital interest to the United States, intervention can only be successful if there are clearly established rules, which in turn require international law and institutions.
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/the_new_bush_doctrine.php -George Soros is president of Soros Fund Management and chairman of the Open Society Institute.
President George W. Bush’s second inaugural address set forth an ambitious vision of the role of the United States in advancing the cause of freedom worldwide, fueling worldwide speculation over the course of American foreign policy during the next four years. The ideas expressed in Bush’s speech thus deserve serious consideration.
“It is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture,” Bush declared, “with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.”
There is a bow to diplomacy in the assurance that fulfilling this mission “is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend our friends and ourselves by force of arms when necessary.” Similarly, Bush recognizes that outsiders cannot force liberty on people. Instead, “Freedom by its nature must be chosen and defended by citizens and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities.”
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