The winds are blowing, the sun is hot and the Middle East is ripe for freedom. We are seeing movements of democracy in several countries where free society has struggled.

March 9, President Bush had this to say to the people of Lebanon: “Today I have a message for the people of Lebanon: All the world is witnessing your great movement of conscience. Lebanon’s future belongs in your hands.”

The same day, Hezbollah organized a rally in downtown Beirut in support of Syrian troops stationed in Lebanon. The crowd, which numbered between 500,000 and 1 million, was telling the world two things, “Thank you, Syria” and “No to foreign (that is, U.S.) interference.”

Some credit is due to Syria for helping bring about a cease-fire during Lebanon’s 15-year civil war. But the time has come, as it has so many times throughout history, for the occupying power to leave the occupied. There are many reasons Syria should do this, not the least of which is U.N. Resolution 1559, which “calls upon all remaining foreign forces to withdraw from Lebanon” and “calls for the disbanding and disarmament of the all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militia.”

Syria must begin its phased withdrawal of Lebanon, but it must do so in a manner that does not leave the country in disarray. Religious, ethnic and political agendas need to retain their delicate balance within Lebanon.

Elections are often used to define democratic nation-states, but they are not the only condition for a democracy. Tainted easily by intimidation of voters and limits on who can vote and who can run are all ways to poison free elections and offer a facade of democracy. Elections are not, when presented alone, a symbol of democracy. Voting is but a note in the symphony of democracy.

President Bush deserves credit for at least pushing a facade of democracy around the world, but the United States’ political agenda in the Middle East is a dangerous one. The continued support for an illegal, immoral Israeli occupation in Palestine, the American occupation of Iraq, and the support for the regime in Saudi Arabia has rocked our hope for a world free of oppressive governments.

In Egypt, a movement is building as President Hosni Mubarak has agreed to constitutional changes that would allow multi-platform presidential elections in Egypt for the first time in modern history. This amendment has met some fierce criticism from opposition parties that believe the change is a “gimmick.”

There have been several rallies in Cairo where people have been arrested simply for publicly voicing their opposition. A student at American University in Cairo was arrested for handing out literature that criticized Mubarak.

Although on the surface the voting amendment appears to be baby steps toward a free Egyptian society, the amendment falls short of earning the right of democratic reforms.

For example, the election committee to oversee the elections will be organized by the ruling party, the National Democratic Party. Rifaat El-Said, leader of one of the opposition parties, Tagamm, said of this stipulation, “It would be completely incredible that a member of the ruling party’s politburo be entrusted with supervising the presidential poll.”

The movement toward free societies is historic. I stand in solidarity with oppressed and occupied people throughout the world. I stand side by side with Palestinians and Israelis working for an end to the Israeli occupation. I stand with Iraqis around the world demanding an end to the U.S. occupation in Iraq, and I stand with the Lebanese people calling for a Syrian withdrawal.

Credit is due for this movement; the credit goes to activists around the world mobilizing the people in opposition to occupation and oppression.