Democracy can only be established by a people themselves. It cannot be foisted by any elite, and not at all by a foreign power. It is only when a people become conscious of their fundamental rights that they learn to value freedom and the rights of others; which is a precursor of a truly democratic polity.

It is generally in the process of the struggle for their rights that leadership grows from amongst them.

A people can learn from the experience of others, but they must fight for their freedom themselves led by their own leaders. This is the lesson of history and it is how most of the emerging nations have achieved freedom and democracy.

A people struggling for freedom from either foreign rulers or local autocrats have to be wary of any foreign intervention or 'help' in their struggle. No foreign power would do so without any motive. All states serve their own national interests. If a foreign power 'supports' any people in their struggle, it is usually done to advance that power's own national interest, or for some economic or political gain in sight. It is either for some natural resource of that country or for some strategic reason.

History of colonialism shows that the colonial powers established their empires to take possession of the natural resources of the colonized countries and to use them as captive markets for their goods.

In the current spate of protests in the Arab world, people want to replace dictatorships with true democracy so as to freely exercise their rights and work for the well being of the masses. But some western powers have been trying to meddle into the internal affairs of these countries. They have been trying to capture the leadership of the movement or to hoist their own puppets in positions of power in the name of democracy. The concern being expressed by the foreign powers is not for the love of the Arab people but for the natural resources, especially oil, in their lands. They want to retain control of the oil resources of the Arab world and hence their 'support' for the movement for democracy.

The Arabs should beware of such 'friends'. They would be better off without such 'support'. Some western circles are also contemplating armed intervention in some of the countries. The Arab masses should remain on the alert against such interventions. They should shun such support in their own best interests.

Failure of governance is obvious and universal reaction by the public is legitimate but the fingerprints of foreign powers are distinctly visible.

---