Defense, democracy and the war on terrorism - Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas J. Feith - Transcript

US Department of Defense Speeches, April 23, 2004

The second part is support for models of political and philosophical moderation, especially in the Muslim world. Championing freedom can make a crucial contribution here.

As the distinguished scholar of Islam, Professor Bernard Lewis, put it: "The war against terror and the quest for freedom are inextricably linked--neither can succeed without the other."

That's why President Bush outlined what he calls a "forward strategy for freedom in the Middle East." As he puts it, so long as freedom does not flourish, the Middle East "will remain a place of stagnation, resentment and violence ready for export."

President Bush does not have the view that a particular governmental structure suits every person and every society. But he does believe that the aspiration for freedom is inherent in people everywhere. The societies that best satisfy that hope are those that enjoy the greatest stability, creativity and prosperity.

President Bush often speaks of the sources of the liberal impulse--the God-given desire for personal freedom. But he does not believe in "one size fits all" or "cookie cutter" answers to the complex questions facing developing countries. President Bush, if I can put it this way, champions freedom without violating the precepts of Edmund Burke.

We know from experience that some of the world's more grievous ills can be solved or mitigated by giving people governments that allow them to live freely. The good effects reach far beyond politics. Liberal democratic societies tend to enjoy greater health, more trade, richer exchanges of ideas and other large blessings.

The development of diverse democratic institutions in the states of the former Soviet Empire represented here tonight is an example of the process at work.

The political development of your countries demonstrates how democracy can conduce to peace--how it can create states that become stronger, safer and more prosperous, without threatening their neighbors.

This is also what we hope to achieve in Iraq.

* The adoption last fall of our timetable to turn over sovereign authority to the Iraqis on July 1, 2004 has been useful in stimulating political reconstruction in Iraq.

* The coalition's strategic aim in Iraq is to put the Iraqis in a position to run their own country. The US has no desire whatever to run Iraq, let alone (as the conspiracy mongers allege) to exploit it.

* Strategic success will be Iraqis creating for themselves an Iraq that gives freedom and prosperity to its own people and does not threaten its neighbors or others.

* The setting of deadlines--for example, the end of February deadline for the adoption of the so-called Iraqi interim constitution and the end of June deadline for the handover of sovereign authority--has had the intended effect of encouraging Iraqis to become more active in running their own ministries and in getting work completed in the Iraqi Governing Council.

* The interim constitution, which was completed only three days after the deadline, is an admirable document, the fruit of impressive political skill and the art of compromise on the part of the Iraqi Governing Council.