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Chapter II. Champion Aspirations for Human Dignity

 Section B.  Successes and Challenges since 2002

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             Since 2002, the world has seen extraordinary progress in the expansion of freedom,

             democracy, and human dignity:

 

             ·  The peoples of Afghanistan and Iraq have replaced tyrannies with democracies.  

             

                   ·  In Afghanistan, the tyranny of the Taliban has been replaced by a freely-elected

                        government; Afghans have written and ratified a constitution guaranteeing rights

                        and freedoms unprecedented in their history; and an elected legislature gives the

                        people a regular voice in their government.

 

                   ·  In Iraq, a tyrant has been toppled; over 8 million Iraqis voted in the nation's first

                        free and fair election; a freely negotiated constitution was passed by a referendum

                        in which almost 10 million Iraqis participated; and, for the first time in their

                        history, nearly 12 million Iraqis have elected a permanent government under a

                        popularly determined constitution.

 

             ·  The people of Lebanon have rejected the heavy hand of foreign rule.  The people of

                   Egypt have experienced more open but still flawed elections.  Saudi Arabia has taken

                   some preliminary steps to give its citizens more of a voice in their government.  

                   Jordan has made progress in opening its political process.  Kuwait and Morocco are

                   pursuing agendas of political reform.

 

             ·  The "color revolutions" in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan have brought new hope

                   for freedom across the Eurasian landmass.

 

             ·  Democracy has made further advances in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, with

                   peaceful transfers of power; growth in independent judiciaries and the rule of law;

                   improved election practices; and expanding political and economic rights.

 

             The human desire for freedom is universal, but the growth of freedom is not inevitable.  

             Without support from free nations, freedom's spread could be hampered by the

             challenges we face:

 

National Security Strategy 2

 

             ·  Many governments are at fragile stages of political development and need to

                  consolidate democratic institutions ­ and leaders that have won democratic elections

                  need to uphold the principles of democracy;

 

             ·  Some governments have regressed, eroding the democratic freedoms their peoples

                  enjoy;

   

             ·  Some governments have not delivered the benefits of effective democracy and

                  prosperity to their citizens, leaving them susceptible to or taken over by demagogues

                  peddling an anti-free market authoritarianism;

             

             ·  Some regimes seek to separate economic liberty from political liberty, pursuing

                  prosperity while denying their people basic rights and freedoms; and

   

             ·  Tyranny persists in its harshest form in a number of nations.  

   

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