In the Big Banged Middle East, radical is as radical does

OP-ED: “Muslim Radicals In Power,” by David Ignatius, Washington Post, 3 February 2006, p. A18.

ARTICLE: “Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood May Be Model for Islam’s Political Adaptation,” by Daniel Williams, Washington Post, 3 February 2006, p. A14.

Very interesting piece by the routinely impressive Ignatius, who has mastered that careful style of floating the provocative without seeming preachy. Here he challenges us to consider exactly what it means to see radical Muslims reach power by citing the adaptations of Shiite Hezbollah in Lebanon. Not pretty, and sure as hell not always to our liking, but clearly an adaptation. As one Lebanese Shiite leader of Hezbollah points out, the great reason why so many radical Muslims have hated America over the years has been our support for dictatorships in the region, so Bush’s push for democratization can bring about serious change in that situation, but only if we’re willing to accept what that democratization yields, which will be Islamist states.

As I wrote in BFA, expecting anything other than Islamists states in the region is simply silly, so if Bush’s push for democratization softens Muslim anger and gets rids of dictators over time, that’s a doubleplusgood worth fighting and dying for.

Remember: a lot of people fighting for their rights are “terrorists” right up until they assume power. Is the key for us always saying no to SoAndSo? Or is it getting rid of transnational terrorism?

A lot of experts inside the Beltway expect Egypt to undergo significant unrest in coming years, with the Muslim Brotherhood as the rising democratic challenge to Mubarek’s long dictatorship. Amazing, but check out how the Brotherhood is winning hearts and minds, and ask yourself: Will their inevitable rise to power do more to connect average Egyptians to the world at large than has been achieved by decades of “emergency rule” by Mubarek?

I know “Bush lied, thousands died” is the current judgment of many Americans, but I really believe that history will look very kindly upon Bush for this bold stroke. A lot of presidents before him promised movement in the region and accomplished nothing, but Bush may well go down in history as the guy who changed it all.