MANAMA, Bahrain - A U.S.-backed Mideast democracy and development summit ended in rancor Saturday despite adoption of two initiatives that are part of
President Bush's push to expand political freedom in a region dominated by monarchies and effective single-party rule.
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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not speak at the close of the conference, which was hosted by the Group of Eight economic giants and Arab nations but which was largely a U.S. initiative.
Rice used the start of the conference earlier Saturday to criticize political repression in Syria and call for the release of political prisoners there.
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"For democracy to achieve lasting and sustainable success, it must also be nurtured by a vibrant economy and an ever growing middle class," Rice said at the outset, noting that some 50 million to 100 million young people will enter the job market across the Middle East and neighboring countries in North Africa over the next five to 10 years.
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Many Middle East nations are wary of Bush's second-term democracy agenda in the region, and some organizations the administration has tried to engage are reluctant to take State Department funding.
No kidding? That wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that our elected officials are hypocrites and that we can talk all day long about liberty, freedom and the good old fashioned American way of life while we maim and kill indiscriminately and take political prisoners ourselves so some sick fucks can get their jollies by attaching electrodes to mens balls. We ought to be so proud.
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