USAID Wins Palestinian Election

The perverse logic of Middle East democratization, one of the cornerstones of the war on terror, continues to play itself out in this week’s Palestinian elections. As discussed previously on this blog, democratization does not entail unfettered self-determination. The Washington Post reports that the US will outspend all Palestinian political parties in the run-up to Wednesday’s election, in a clandestine initiative to shore up the ailing Palestinian Authority. USAID’s main goal is to limit the influence of Hamas in the elections. Seemingly unaware of the contradictions in his position, James A. Bever, USAID’s mission director for the West Bank and Gaza, stated: “We are not favoring any particular party. But we do not support parties that are on the terrorism list. We are here to support the democratic process.” Apparently, for USAID, the democratic process includes secretly bankrolling roughly 40 projects and events, including donating food and water to Palestinians at border crossings and a national youth soccer tournament, all presented in the name of the Palestinian Authority.

This seems to us a good example of how external interventions, even those conducted under the auspices of international aid, distort local politics. Attempts to direct Palestinians to choose the politicians we would like them to choose will create a government more responsive to USAID interests than to those of its own people. This is a step back from democratic politics, not a step forward.