The difference between Britain and Iraq is more ethnicity than politics and governmental forms. Most Brits still share a common ancestry with the Founders of America. They pursue those seen as common enemies. Most Iraqis, both in 2001 and today, would be far more likely to side with the would be terrorists. Your point is a fallacy in your own subjective assessment of the realities involved.
Incidentally, you can go virtually anywhere in the world where you have a sizeable community of ethnic British, and you will find similar cultural norms. The same is true of most other peoples. It is this reality, which ultimately determines the course of nations, and the cultures they create. Man creates his cultures, not the other way around.
As for the President's folly in trying to alter other nations cultures? One would suggest that he look at how well that succeeded when those same Brits to whom we refer, tried to change the culture of their Irish cousins over several centuries. They turned what could have been natural allies into bitter enemies. It was folly then, and it is folly now.
William Flax
Your logic is folly. The Japs had no democracy to speak of in their history. Up unitl post WWII, they were a warrior culture, of great prowess and prestige, and under the influence of the emporer-gods who ran the place. Not Christian, not westernized, and certainly not democratic.
But by golly, they sure are now, and one of our staunchest allies, at that.
Look what has happened to the communist wet dream of Marx and Lenin. Sure their are a few holdouts still. But it was ONLY Ronald Reagan and a very small handful of others who were wise enough to know that the godless ideology was going to land on the "scrap heap" of history. You must recall how the intellegencia on both left and right, and the Real-politiksnics ridiculed Reagan's vision.
Seems to me the British Empire did very well in changing the culture in India. They are now the World's largest democracy and getting more properous by the day. So obviously the Hindus are accepting of "enlightenment". Look at Turkey, after the fall of the Ottoman empire, Attaturk ruled with an iron fist, yet was wise enough to set up a proper constitution, which is still in place as we speak and Turkey will soon join the EU. They have been a staunch US ally up until the latest Iraq war. But we still share intelligence with them.
Morocco, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, Kuwait, the UAE, and even Saudi Arabia are starting to moving in the right direction. Away from terrorism. In no samll part due to GWB.
The Cold War lasted 50 years. Expect the WOT to take at least 20, and you can thank GWB for putting the change in motion.