June 2004

“What is so depressing is that the Israeli people seem prepared to accept policies not only of such moral and legal bankruptcy, but also so self-destructive in the long term. It is the moral high ground that has been abandoned since 1967, and this cannot but be a cancer in the soul and identity of any society.”

“Liberal democracy is the best form of government yet discovered. But if you rush to a multi-party election without first developing the underpinnings of liberal democracy—the rule of law, civil society, private property, independent media—you can end up with what Fareed Zakaria has called ‘illiberal democracy.’”

“If they do go ahead and eliminate multi-lateral debt it will be a massive step forward. It is profound in its implication and the logical next step should be to dismantle trade barriers. It's feasible and could be financed by the sale of IMF gold, which would be a simple bookkeeping exercise.”

“At worst, British troops, and those who command them, can kill with impunity because there is no effective mechanism for accountability within domestic or international law.”

“Basic principles of justice and the operation of the rule of law dictate that this legal black hole, prised open after 9/11 by both the US and Britain, must now be closed. Otherwise, this current international lawlessness can only lead to a dramatic counterattack by those on the receiving end of this new world order.”

“There is no ready-made formula for democracy readily transposable from one country to another. Democracy is not a method, it is a culture. For democracy to take root solidly and durably in the Arab world, it must be an Arab democracy before all else.”