In 1979, Jeane Kirkpatrick, a Georgetown professor and until then, a lifelong Democrat, published a famous essay in Commentary. Kirkpatrick argued that the Carter administration’s policy of undermining autocrats friendly to the West did not, as intended, produce regimes that respected human rights. Instead, we ended up with the Ayatollah in Iran. Thirty-three years later, C2C Journal highlights that essay and with it this obvious question: Are idealistic Western policies and general hopes for the Arab world doomed to disappointment once again? See Dictatorships and Double-Standards from Commentary.
Jason Kenney and the End of All Things (Or Maybe Just a Democratic Vote)
Time was a former political leader’s expected role was to enjoy retirement in obscurity, reappearing at the occasional state funeral or apolitical charity event smiling inscrutably and saying nothing. While former U.S. President Bill Clinton broke this mould and fellow Democrat Barack Obama won’t stop delivering lectures, conservatives generally stick to tradition. Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, however, just can’t help himself – literally. Collin May probes the curious, maddening and somewhat sad case of a once-respected leader who, having dug his own political grave, now seems to think the way out is to keep shovelling.