two evils nonetheless

Submitted by Peter J. Herz (Taiwan), May 30, 2004 at 20:16

If the Sa'udi Kingdom gives way to an Ikhwan-type regime, the Ikhwan may nonetheless take the path that Abdul-Aziz ultimately took and make the compromises that power demands. True, there would probably be a period of time in which the US and other states might have to make a few forcible points, but ultimately, a kind of normalcy would prevail. We saw the same thing happen before in China, where the Communist Party came close to delegitimating itself in the Great Cultural Revolution.

It may just be the case that the Islamic world needs to groan under the Ikhwan or people like them in order to appreciate the benefits of joining the global civilization.

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