More Silver Lining...

Since Global Paradigm went to sleep before reading the Sunday's NYT I wasn't able to include in my earlier post this op-ed, The Long Transition (sounds...mmm... prtentious...) from the guy who predicted how the Iraq war would bring demcoracy in the Middle East and Peace on Earth. So you know he's right (for some reason Brooks reminds me of this kid in migh high-school class who used to complain to the teacher: "But you forgot to give us our homework":

Yet a democratic tide is sweeping the globe, promoted not only by the U.S. but by the spirit of the times, and an election came to Palestine. Voters had to choose between two revolutionary movements, one corrupt and one attentive to their needs.
But flight has begun and the democratic transition hurtles on. Palestine is entering the most traumatic phase, when a romantic, revolutionary people is compelled to transform itself into an ordinary, democratic polity.
But there is progress. Palestinian voters have already brought some accountability to the Palestinian Authority. Europe never held Arafat and his successors accountable for their corruption, lies and killing. But Palestinian voters, beginning their democratic self-education, have.

Read my earlier post about the reaction by the German communists in the 1930's... And also read the depressing piece in the Sunday's Washington Post on "Some Palestinians See End to Secular Dream." I do hope those Palestinians are wrong. I used to be a regular contributor to the Journal of Palestine Studies and have been bashed for my support for Palestinian independence (and that was before Oslo). The Palestinian election is a major event and we need to come up with new ideas.