President George W. Bush: Unspoken Author of the Arab Spring?

For decades Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gadaffi were the bad boys of the Middle East as far as American policy makers were concerned. Both had American blood on their hands and are now gone. The former was overthrown in the 2003 American invasion of Iraq and the latter by his own people backed by the United States, the European Union and the Arab League. In between these two events arose the Arab Spring that has engulfed Libya these past months. The fall of dictators from Tunisia to Egypt's Mubarak to Gadaffi are traced to the heroic act of protest by Mohamed Bouazizi who self-immolated himself on Dec. 22, 2010. However, could another more famous person also claim authorship? President George W. Bush. Yes, the American invasion was not greeted warmly in the Middle East, and the top-down imposition of change from the outside created an insurgency and cost thousands of Iraqi and American lives. But there were also pictures of Iraqi women and men voting in free elections for the first time. Excited voters waving their ink-stained hands proving they voted in free and fair elections. It was a scene to be repeated, along with the messy deal-making to forge a government coalition among Iraq's demographic groups and politicians. The United States reviled as an invader, turned over the reins of power back to Iraqis as it did to the Germans and Japanese after World War II. Iraq proved these dictatorial dynasties could be overthrown and elections held. I cannot believe this escaped notice in the rest of the Arab world. That and the continuing deterioration of people's lives in these corrupt and totalitarian countries proved ready for the match lit on Dec. 22, 2010 by a despairing and desperate Tunisian peddler. The Arab Spring continues and Syria finds itself in its ever growing shadow. But perhaps we need to look beyond that flame engulfed Tunisian square and begrudgingly acknowledge the first embers were struck in 2003, intentional or not.