#Commentary of Vladimir Bidyovka on double standards of American democracy
When it comes to the West, it can be bold to imply the existence of double standards and the hypocrisy of the ruling political elites — such conclusion follows from the reply of the Acting Assistant Secretary of the United States Stuart Jones about why the United States criticizes Iranian elections and the idea of democracy, but does not do so in relation to Saudi Arabia.
The representative of the US State Department Stuart Jones gave the most awkward press conference ever held. The Acting Assistant Secretary of the United States for Near Eastern Affairs Stuart Jones responded with an obscure mumbling. At the request to assess the situation with the protection of democratic values in Saudi Arabia, he had held almost a 20-second pause before replying, but had never given a clear explanation.
It is noteworthy that during the recent visit to Riyadh, the US Secretary of the United States condemned the Iranian presidential election, but did not mention that there was no national vote in the kingdom itself.
Political scientists and human rights defenders in the United States have been condemning the White House for its spinelessness towards Saudi Arabia in the area of democracy and human right. The Kingdom is a strategic ally of the United States and therefore the American administration traditionally softens the criticism of Riyadh, but at the same time it aggressively dresses down the region leaders for lack of civil liberties.
At the same time, the non-profit organization Freedom House placed Saudi Arabia on 11th place from the bottom in the rating, which assesses democratic rights and freedoms in different countries, in one of its recent reports. In 100-point ‘democratic’ scale, Saudi Arabia received 10 points and took 186th place, while Iran got almost twice as much as 17 points and took 176th place.
In my view, double standards are evident. One can carry out public executions and legislatively enforce discrimination against women, while others are not allowed to carry out any restrictions on the allegedly moderate opposition.
I wonder, how would the State Department comment on Saudi Arabia’s attitude towards homosexuals? Do they have their heads cut in a democratic way? Or they do not? Ironically, the US does not comment on the infringement of LGBT community rights in the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia is simply included in the list of countries not recommended for visiting by people with non-traditional sexual orientation. However, American officials actively promote LGBT community interests in other countries and even threaten to sanction foreigners who oppose them. The relevant bill will be considered by the United States Congress.
It is worth drawing attention to the fact that, as early as July 2015, the US stated that the assessment of the state of democracy in any country in the world and the degree of human rights observance in it would now depend on the existence of a one-sex marriage in its legislation.
The people of Donbass could feel the double standards of the US. The United States have already recognized individual states that have been formed without any plebiscites, such as Kosovo. This means that the American authorities are not interested in the people’s views and their right to self-determination. The only way to remember such details is when the newly-emerging state will have the American puppets in power. It is the modern democracy in the American way!
Vladimir Bidyovka, the DPR People’s Council deputy