Free and democratic elections in the Middle East aren't likely to end anti-American hostility.

While protestors marched chanting outside Parliament on Feb. 28, demanding the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karami, US officials watched the events with interest. Though President Bush has repeatedly said that political reforms will fight the spread of violent Islamic extremism, democracy isn't enough to deal with our image problem. The recent developments in the Middle East have shown that without a fundamental change in basic US policies in the region, it will be impossible to curb animosity towards our nation.

If unhindered elections were conducted in Lebanon, as demonstrators are demanding, the political wing of the terrorist group, Hezbollah, would be likely to win a significant number of seats in Parliament. The fundamentalist Shiite organization, blamed for the 1983 US Marine barracks attack in Beirut that killed 241 American soldiers, is dogmatically anti-American. If free elections are carried out, the result, given Hezbollah's social and political clout, might not be quite what American officials had in mind.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's announcement this month that he would support presidential elections later this year may not result in the decrease of anti-American animosity that Bush has linked to democratic reforms. The political party of the Muslim Brotherhood, also violently anti-Western, would likely gain influence and political power, if elections were held, given their popularity throughout the country.

In Iraq, the president's dream of a friendly, moderate government remains out of reach. Free elections have resulted in a Shiite frontrunner for Prime Minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, who has questionable ties to Iran's fundamentalist government. The possibility of an eventual Iraq-Iran alliance looks more possible than ever.

Democratic reforms haven't, and aren't likely to, put an end to anti-American sentiment in the Middle East. At least not until we can change the minds of Muslim voters about the United States. Considering the pessimistic international perception of America's War on Terror, it will take more than lofty political rhetoric to win over potential voters. Only through a dedicated shift in our foreign policy to one genuinely, and not selectively, centered on human rights can we convince the Muslim world of our good intentions.

--Jeb Koogler is a senior at the Northwest School in Seattle and founder of the blog www.fpwatch.blogspot.com.