Even the Tiny Republic of Togo…
..requires U.S. intervention in the name of democracy, in the world of Peter Beinart's tough-lib. New Republic. In this article by Steven Kosnar, we are told
President Bush still needs to prove to the world that the chimes of freedom that rang so vociferously during his inaugural deserve to be heard not only in strategically important countries like Iraq but in smaller, poverty-stricken countries like Togo as well. In his inaugural address two weeks ago, he said: "The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve your people you must learn to trust them. Start on this journey of progress and justice, and America will walk at your side." It would appear we are not quite ready to walk the walk. Our cautious response to the situation in Togo--in effect to wait for others to do something about it--raises the question of whether President Bush's call for global freedom is subject to a global test.
The "situation," by the way, is that a long-term (elected, in highly questionable elections) strongman died, and power was handed to his son through military strongarming and a quick rewriting of the Tongolese constitution. And it's up to the U.S., says Kosnar, to "forthrightly condemn" the situation. We also should be
threatening sanctions and offering logistical support for eventual elections. The United States could also be offering to lead the EU, AU, and ECOWAS in helping devise a power-sharing arrangement between the country's two ethnic groups.
The U.S. government: dedicated in spirit and action to the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness of its citizens, and, of course, to taking a bold lead in ensuring peace between the Ewe and the Kabre.
