Kicking Out Corruption

[NATO AIR]

good viewpoint from ralph peters... corruption, not terrorism is the key here.

http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/59494.htm

KICKING OUT CORRUPTION

By RALPH PETERS

January 27, 2006 -- IN Wednesday's Palestinian elections, Hamas, a fundamentalist party that sponsors terrorism and denies Israel's right to exist, won an outright majority. It was a victory for democracy.
While supporting Israel's legitimate security needs, we have to analyze what happened without prejudice: Why did Hamas win? Why did Fatah, the movement that dominated the Palestinian cause for more than a generation, suffer a stunning defeat?

After all, the Palestianian Authority had established a fledgling government - with broad international support. Aid was flowing. Israel left Gaza - and began admit that its West Bank posture is unsustainable.

Why did the Palestinian people overwhelmingly vote for terrorists?

They didn't. Fatah lost because of the party's disgraceful corruption and neglect of the practical needs of its constituents. If not all politics are local, most are. Hamas won by providing basic services slighted by the Palestinian Authority and by avoiding the blatant corruption of Fatah's old guard.

Did Hamas's hard line on Israel help it? Yes, with a minority of voters. But most Palestinians voted for a better quality of everyday life, not for a doomsday confrontation with Tel Aviv. Disgust had more to do with the outcome than militancy.

This isn't meant to whitewash Hamas's history of mass murder. On the contrary, the lesson we need to take from this election is one we should have learned years ago: Corruption is the greatest plague on the developing world, opening the door for fanatical movements insightful enough to offer children a semblance of education and to provide the neglected poor with running water.

In country after country, Islamic parties gained power by filling the vacuum left in urban slums by corrupt governments. Westerners made excuses as Turkish, Pakistani, Egyptian, Algerian, Palestinian and an array of African governments looted their national patrimonies, stole aid funds and behaved with utter disdain for their fellow citizens. The bills come due.

No human being likes to live in squalor while his leaders splurge on London real estate. The wretched of the earth - to use that still-valid phrase - simply want their basic needs addressed. Above all, they want hope for their children.

If the desires of the global poor could be summed up in three words, they'd be "work, education, pride." Throw in electricity and sanitation, and you've got a winning electoral program.

Too often, we remain on the side of the corrupt and powerful, instead of standing up for the hurt and humiliated. If America won't defend the poor, who will? Extremist parties with bigoted agendas.

So, what does the Hamas victory mean for us?

First, the era of strong-man rule is ending. Democracy is on the march. Yet, from sheer inertia we often find ourselves on the side of the old, collapsing order - while our enemies grasp the potential of the ballot box better than we do.

Second, we must be far more aggressive in spotting, publicizing and fighting corruption around the world - no matter the short-term costs. Corruption is the most insidious enemy of rule-of-law democracy.

Third, we have to avoid knee-jerk reactions. By reflexively condemning electoral outcomes we don't like, from Venezuela to the Middle East, we only make heroes of our opponents - while sounding like hypocrites ourselves.

President Bush's comments yesterday struck about the right note, accepting the results and praising the positives, while staying noncommital on future relations.

Fourth, democracy requires patience. Whether in Iraq or Bolivia, we can't force voters to make the "right" choices. Electorates need to make their own mistakes - and learn from them.

Give Hamas time to discover how much harder it is to govern than to oppose a government. See if the movement evolves - or defaults to violence. In power, Hamas will have to deliver the goods. And better lives for Palestinians can't be achieved through terrorism.

The ball's in Hamas's court. If we don't like their serve, we've got a powerful backhand.

Ralph Peters' latest book is "New Glory: Expanding America's Global Supremacy.