A NEW POLICY FOR MUSLIM COUNTRIES?

Political pundits had been debating for some time whether democracy was possible in Muslim countries. Some believed yes, others argued no, but no one could have said for sure. The experiments with democracy that have taken place recently in Afghanistan and Iraq may now provide us with an answer. If democracy fails in these countries we will have the certainty that we cannot treat these countries according to the same standards that we treat today's modern, civilized nations. Our policies towards these countries and their religion will take a radical turn from what has existed up to now. This is a lesson that Israel has learned long ago, and it suggests the direction the new policy will likely take.

If Bush can be credited for anything, it will be in having removed any doubt about how we should regard these countries.