The case for democracy
[...] The debate that is going on in the West now is almost the same. Our message as dissidents was that you cannot impose democracy. Nobody can force anybody to be free. But you don't have to help impose dictatorship on those people by cooperating with [dictators] and financing these efforts. Today the debate is more or less the same. There are those who believe in democracy is not for everybody, and then when it comes to the Arab world, there are not democratic regimes, and that it is wishful thinking to try to push for it, so let's have good relations with dictators who help bring stability. There are dissidents in those countries who are very upset with the free world. They are not saying, "go and fight", but saying "stop supporting them". [...]
