Bush, on Mideast Trip, Shifts Focus to 'Justice'
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- President Bush offered a cautious critique of political repression in the Middle East, reassuring nervous Arab leaders of continuing U.S. support while calling political and social change inevitable.</br></br>"The best way to defeat the extremists in your midst is by opening your societies, and trusting in your people, and giving them a voice in their nation," Mr. Bush said to Gulf Arab leaders in the major speech of his nine-day Middle East trip.</br></br>While Mr. Bush continued to tout democracy, he put more emphasis on the need for "justice" and broader societal changes. The rhetorical shift, while subtle, helps align the White House's agenda more closely with the changes that are under way in the oil-rich Gulf states. Boosted by their soaring oil revenue, many are investing heavily in education, infrastructure and social programs. At the same time, there is relatively little progress on the political front. Despite isolated changes, for instance in Kuwait, most Gulf Arab leaders still govern as hereditary and near-absolute monarchs.</br></br>"We believe that helping to build a strong regional economy is our best opportunity for lasting social stability in the Middle East," wrote Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, in a commentary in The Wall Street Journal's opinion pages Saturday, during the Bush visit to the Middle East. "We don't have political ambitions," he continued.</br></br>The speech came as Mr. Bush barnstorms through the region that originally gave rise to his "freedom agenda" following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S. Mr. Bush often has blamed the rise of militant Islamists in part on repressive political cultures in the Gulf region, and he has called repeatedly for change.