Condoleeza Rice Editorial: “Why Democracy Prevails”

Condoleezza Rice, writing for Today Online, posits that “if people have no way to hold their governments accountable through peaceful change, they will do so violently,” referring to the oppressive governments in the Middle East. She links the dearth of respect for human freedom, women’s empowerment, and access to knowledge in the Middle East to the “ the urgency of democratic reform throughout the [region].”

She suggests that the United States  sought stability at the expense of democracy in supporting authoritarian regimes for more than 60 years, but concludes that ” we should have known better.” Rice says that “decent” political forces are organizing to fill the void left by authoritarian governments, and that while democracy may be difficult to achieve, it is the only certain way to maintain real stability.