The Real Benefits of Exporting Democracy & Hamas Victory
Reader comment on item: Why Hamas['s Electoral Victory] Leaves Me Neutral

Submitted by Joe (United States), Jan 31, 2006 at 16:02

Here are 3 positive benefits of the Hamas victory and the 'export democracy' movement initiated by Washington:

1. Divide and Conquer: The election has sharpened contradictions among the Palestinians themselves, leading them to publicly fight among themselves at a much higher pitch. That's good. Civil war among them is better than united war against us.

2. From Stateless Terror to Client State of Iran: Hamas' immediate recognition by Iran tells the world that Hamastan is a client state of Iran, i.e. that Iran's imperial ambitions are the issue, not simply Islamic extremism or stateless jihadism. The more this happens, including in Iraq, we are in a position to fight a more conventional war with more support from Europe and perhaps elsewhere. We seem to do better at conventional wars to crush intransigent enemy armies, vs. unconventional wars against 'native' insurgents. The more Iranian influence, the more conventional it will get.

3. Blank Slate the ' Israeli/Palestinian Peace Process': Now we can have a fresh start based on new assumptions. Since there is no 'partner' for peace, what is the right policy on the Palestinian question? This debate will sharpen in U.S. political circles as well and work against the liberals and appeasers.

All in all, I'd say that while the 'export democracy' movement is now facing the Law of Unintended Consequences (the Hamas victory), some of those consequences are ones that we can use to win the war against the jihadists and make the rule of the Mullahs something akin to the age of the neanderthals.

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