by Chloe Rockow

On the global stage, no action goes without a significant reaction. Revolts in Tunisia and cries for democracy in Egypt have set off a chain reaction of protests, reforms, and unrest. As is common in American foreign policy, experts identify these reactions under the rubric of “Domino Theory: the idea that sudden change in the leadership of one nation can set off a chain reaction in its neighbors, transforming an entire region.”¹ President Eisenhower originally coined the term in reference to Indochina, claiming that if one country fell to communism, others would quickly follow.

More recently, the Domino Theory has been utilized as an explanation for the growth of democracy. President Bush hoped for a democracy domino effect in the Middle East after the invasion of Iraq, for example, much to the ridicule of the media and his political opponents. But in light of recent events in the Middle East, it appears President Bush’s may yet be fulfilled:if the Middle East is, in fact, a series of dominoes, it appears that Iraq was the first to fall.

In the present moment, as many as nine Middle Eastern countries are pushing away from autocratic regimes towards freer, more democratic governance. But to blame or credit the domino effect seems to minimize the importance of free and individual choice: are countries becoming democratic only because their neighbors are as well? Or are citizens under autocratic regimes seeing real changes and freedoms in their neighbors, and desiring that for themselves?

Winston Churchill once famously said, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” Since the ancient Republics, it has often been thought that power distributed amongst all people is safer, better, and freer than power confined only to a minority. Politically, it has become a powerful strategy to preach about the freedoms guaranteed by democracy. Americans may not agree on many things, but most believe strongly in the individual liberties that democracy has secured.

When it comes to other countries, however, the true hypocrisy of our faith in democracy is apparent. Americans call for democracy throughout the world, but continue to support autocratic rulers that preserve our economic interests. Especially in the contentious oil-rich regions of the Middle East, politicians would rather have an America-friendly dictator than a democracy of extremists who oppose US interests.

As such, the calls for democracy in the Middle East show us that it is time to practice what we preach. These countries are not simply dominoes falling out of control: they are communities of individuals crying for freedom. To trivialize the desire for freedom by reducing it to a mere force of gravity lessens everything that America stands for. That individuals in the Middle East have chosen to fight for their freedoms, though they may be contrary to American economic interests, is commendable. The United States should congratulate and welcome these new democracies, bearing in mind only the peoples’ best interests, and not our own games to play.

References
1 Tanenhaus, Sam. “The World: From Vietnam to Iraq: The Rise and Fall and Rise of the Domino Theory.” The New York Times, 23 March 2003.