Safe Democracy Foundation - Safe Democracy

Walid Salem addresses the issue of whether Islam as a religion is compatible with the establishment of democracy. Salem believes that it is, and points out that there are hundreds of moderate Islamic groups open to the ideas of peace, democracy, and modernization operating within the Middle East. The West must find a way to incorporate these groups into an alliance against terrorism and so help to instill the values of democracy in the Middle East.

Pedro G. Cavallero discusses Venezuela’s candidacy to replace Argentina as a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council. Under the leadership of Hugo Chávez, Venezuela’s foreign policy has become erratic. Chávez has allied himself with Iran and supported its bid for nuclear weapons, and if elected to such an important position in the Security Council could destabilize the Middle East. In Cavallero’s opinion, another state must be chosen, capable of playing a constructive role in the United Nations.

Ricardo Israel Z. discusses the differences between past conflicts of a more political nature in the Middle East, and the current purely military one. In Israel Z.’s opinion, Israel’s will be unable of achieving its objectives of neutralizing Hamas and Hezbollah. And while innocent civilians in Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine suffer, Iran and Syria will be the ones to benefit most from the conflict.

Carlos Jorquera analyzes the harsh criticism that Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has been receiving in past weeks, and explains why her popularity has been declining so rapidly. Jorquera points out several important factors in Bachelet’s loss of support: ambiguity in leadership, indecisiveness, and poor communication within government. In Jorquera’s opinion, Bachelet must take a stand and decide to govern in order to help her country overcome its crises and set Chile on a positive, unwavering course.

Asoka Ranaweera gives a brief history of Liberia from its foundations up to the modern day, discussing the disastrous effects that civil war and instability have had upon the region. In Ranaweera’s opinion, the election of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf marks a new chapter in Liberia’s history with the possibility for economic growth and prosperity. But, Ranaweera warns, positive change cannot be made without the support of the international community.

Martin Varsavsky analyzes the current war between Israel and Lebanon labeling it a distraction strategy on the part of Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In Varsavsky’s opinion, Ahmadinejad used his influence with Hezbollah to create a war and divert attention away from his nuclear aims. Varsavsky identifies three possible outcomes for the current conflict: either Israel succeeds in drawing UN troops to police the Israel-Lebanon border, Lebanon turns into a second Iraq, or Israel and the United States decide to wage war on Iran. No matter what the outcome, Varsavsky reminds us, those who will suffer the most in this conflict will be the civilians.