The European Union, which did so much to export democracy and the rule of law to former communist dictatorships of eastern Europe, has played a miserable role in the Middle East. It pours in aid but never demands democratisation or restrictions on police powers in return. That will have to change if the promise of the past month is to be realised. If it is to help with democracy-building, Europe will need to remind itself as much as the recipients of its money that you can never build free societies on the racist conspiracy theories of the Nazis and the tsars. They are and always have been the tunes that tyrants sing.
I suspect that Cohen's cogent arguments will go well over the top of the heads of most in the hard left including their media representatives. As one of those who posted a comment on Cohen's article remarked:-
Mr Cohen
Your columns are invariably insightful, non-partisan, measured, non-inflammatory, reasonable, devoid of ego and don't blame the West for everything.
How on earth did you manage to get a regular gig on CiF?
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