IT WAS first unveiled to the world as the American dream for spreading democracy right across the Middle East.
But by the time US secretary of state Colin Powell came to launch the administration’s "big idea" formally last night at a conference of Arab leaders in Morocco, Washington had been forced by soaring anti-American sentiment to scale back the ambitious scope of the project.
Instead of leading a high-profile campaign to press for sweeping democratic reforms in Arab and Muslim nations from Mauritius to Pakistan, the US had been forced to boil it down to mundane money matters.
The Forum for the Future conference of foreign and finance ministers from more than 25 countries, co-chaired by Powell and Moroccan foreign minister Mohammed Nenaissa was held in Rabat.
Its focus was the creation of a $100m regional fund for small business loans and how to encourage foreign investment and improve the climate for entrepreneurs.
Powell stressed the need for economic and political reforms in the Arab world to defeat terrorism, when he opened a meeting. "Now is not the time to argue about the pace of democratic reform or whether economic reform must precede political reform," Powell told delegates.
"All of us [confront] the daily threat of terrorism. To defeat the murderous extremists in our midst we must work together to address the causes of despair and frustration that extremists exploit for their own ends."
Powell acknowledged that when the idea was first floated it was regarded by some as "America, once again... dictating to the world". But he said the US intent was to help countries modernise and reform in their own way. "We all agree that effective and sustainable change can only come from within."
But to many Arabs, the conference was dismissed as American meddling in Middle Eastern politics. Saad Eddine Othmani, the head of Morocco’s main opposition Islamist Justice and Development party, said the Iraqi bloodshed "ruined any chance of a rapprochement between Americans and people in the Middle East". "How can Americans in this situation bring us democracy?" he asked.
But by the time US secretary of state Colin Powell came to launch the administration’s "big idea" formally last night at a conference of Arab leaders in Morocco, Washington had been forced by soaring anti-American sentiment to scale back the ambitious scope of the project.
Instead of leading a high-profile campaign to press for sweeping democratic reforms in Arab and Muslim nations from Mauritius to Pakistan, the US had been forced to boil it down to mundane money matters.
The Forum for the Future conference of foreign and finance ministers from more than 25 countries, co-chaired by Powell and Moroccan foreign minister Mohammed Nenaissa was held in Rabat.
Its focus was the creation of a $100m regional fund for small business loans and how to encourage foreign investment and improve the climate for entrepreneurs.
Powell stressed the need for economic and political reforms in the Arab world to defeat terrorism, when he opened a meeting. "Now is not the time to argue about the pace of democratic reform or whether economic reform must precede political reform," Powell told delegates.
"All of us [confront] the daily threat of terrorism. To defeat the murderous extremists in our midst we must work together to address the causes of despair and frustration that extremists exploit for their own ends."
Powell acknowledged that when the idea was first floated it was regarded by some as "America, once again... dictating to the world". But he said the US intent was to help countries modernise and reform in their own way. "We all agree that effective and sustainable change can only come from within."
But to many Arabs, the conference was dismissed as American meddling in Middle Eastern politics. Saad Eddine Othmani, the head of Morocco’s main opposition Islamist Justice and Development party, said the Iraqi bloodshed "ruined any chance of a rapprochement between Americans and people in the Middle East". "How can Americans in this situation bring us democracy?" he asked.
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