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So the Liberal scholars just KNEW that once the Shah was overthrown the people would join the modern, anticapitalist, freethinking world--i.e. the dilusionary world of Liberals. Contrary opinions were UNPOPULAR. The gloomy, skeptical--surely mistaken--scholar should feel ashamed of himself. I mean...I don't know ANYBODY who thinks like THAT! Yes, there is a lesson here--a very important lesson--however, unfortunately, Liberals will never learn it. It is incomprehensible to them, and anyone who confronts them with it is...that's right...mistaken and should feel ashamed of himself. Hey Paul, it didn't just happen that one time! It happens all the time! Liberals are just plain blind! No, it's worse than that! LIBERALS ARE IN DENIAL! And that's dangerous. If they were satisfied just to stick their heads in the sand, their self-destruction would be of little consequence, but unfortunately they are determined to drag all the rest of us with them down that well known, well paved Road to Hell.

The above notwithstanding, this is a very good and well written article. Paul, you're an intelligent man. Try to recover from the disease of Liberalism. You can do it. Try thinking for yourself, and ignore the 'popular' opinions of those around you. C'mon man. We're pulling for you. You'll feel so much better. Truth is a great tonic--maybe the best!

"And many Princeton students were outraged, since they were sure that the Iranian people, freed from the shah's yoke, would join the modern, anticapitalist, freethinking world. The gloomy, skeptical scholar was surely mistaken, and should feel ashamed of himself. No wonder he was a little rueful."

Actually both sides were right: (1)Iranian people joined modern anti-capitalist world, (2) and this world is a very gloomy place indeed.

"Sometime around 1760, Britain, then France and America took off to another world, one that was increasingly secular, democratic, industrial and tolerant in ways that left many of the other regions gasping at the combined implications of such changes."

Do not get me wrong these achievements are great on its own merit, however, there is an established custom to wildly exaggerate them: yes there is a tradition of tolerating minorities (first religious, then ethnic and after that racial), however, countries composed from several large religious/ethnic/racial groups are invariantly split (or are in the process of splitting) along the group borders with only few exclusions (US, Belgium, Switzerland).

So, when we are trying to analyze the real situation in the Muslim world it makes sense first to look at our own society without rose glasses. And surprise, surprise the solution would not be far away. First, we have to concede that we are not ready to lead active transformation of Muslim society, because we do not understand our own well enough. Second, we have to look at the positive examples of societal transformation achieved in the past:

1. Reagan policies toward FSU. Everybody knows about his tough stand against soviet expansion, however, practically nobody is paying any attention to the fact that in all cases he was very accurate of not starting any offence on its own - only counter offences. So, this way US forced FSU's public interest to be switched into its internal problems, forced to boil in its own kettle and result is very well known.

2. Transformation of MA politics - MA is a single party state and dems are left to themselves and I do not see many politicians here talking traditional liberal nonsense about clean elections, raising taxes, banning private business, closing churches etc etc.

3.Australia: society of criminals left alone and forced to solve its own internal problems transformed itself beautifully.

I suppose the same approach should be taken to Muslim world: let us leave them alone, let us stop buying oil from them, let us allow them to boil in their own kettle, solving their own problems. The policy should be somewhat reminiscent of Reagan policy toward FSU: severely restrict any attempt of expansion beyond their own universe, prod satellite states to fall off, advertise our values: music, movies, jeans and coca-cola.

Human nature is human nature, so the thing which worked wonders in such diverse places like FSU, MA and Australia, may solve these problems in practically no time.

So the Liberal scholars just KNEW that once the Shah was overthrown the people would join the modern, anticapitalist, freethinking world--i.e. the dilusionary world of Liberals. Contrary opinions were UNPOPULAR.

A side comment on what is now a backwater issue - South Africa. The above comment from SB is exactly what has happened with South Africa. No matter how bad Apartheid may have been, the overthrow of the Afrikaaners in favor of socialist self-rule is turning the country into a nightmare. In ten years, on the current track, they will be indistinguishable from The Congo or Uganda.

And, as so many have observed, this is the kind of thread that makes keeping up with FreeRepublic totally worthwhile.