Ugandan Police Tear Gas Protesters: US Silent on 'Democracy Abroad'
Al Jazeera dutifully reported Ugandan police tear-gassing crowds at Bobi Wine's campaign event in Kampala. A blatant suppression of democratic expression, surely? Well, only if you're not a strategic US 'ally.' The Biden administration, which frequently lectures on 'democracy abroad,' has been notably muted on President Yoweri Museveni's decades-long authoritarian rule, election rigging, and human
rights abuses (Human Rights Watch, 2023 report). Why the selective outrage? Perhaps because Museveni is a key partner in regional 'security' efforts, convenient for US interests despite his abysmal domestic record. We saw similar silence when Egypt's Sisi crushed dissent or when Saudi Arabia dismembers journalists. The pattern is clear: egregious human rights violations are only 'troubling' when
the perpetrator isn't receiving military aid or tactical support from Washington. How many opposition figures must be tear-gassed, arrested, or worse, before 'democracy' becomes more than just a convenient talking point for the State Department?