On the Other Hand...

To balance off David Ignatius I present to you Juan Cole. It is true that Mr. Cole has been in something of a funk since the Iraqi election, but he still raises a decent if not simplistic point about democracy in the Mid East. He wonders what we will do if democracy does spread in the Arab states, but they elect governments that act against our interests. Cole's exhibit A is the leading candidate for Iraq's top slot Ibrahim Jafari who has strong ties to Iran. It's true that Jafari spent a good part of his exile in Iran, but what Cole neglects to mention that Jafari left Iran for London to escape Irani control.