To yesterday’s email of the day, that is:
Two great things have happened in Beirut recently. First the opposition came out on the streets for a series of peaceful rallies. Then on Tuesday Hizbollah came out with peaceful rallies. Many people are treating the latter as setbacks for democracy. But in reality, they are democracy. It’s not only the people who we agree with who get to vote and mobilize. It’s everybody. In the Arab world there are going to be plenty of anti-American parties. If these parties’ first instinct is to try to rally public opinion and not unleash armies, that’s great. This is in a country where people used to kill each other, over such things, remember. Now they are rallying. This is part of what Wolfowitz was working for.
I tend to agree. But I also believe that any kind of triumphalism now is extremely foolish. This is just the beginning of the beginning. All sorts of obstacles lie ahead. But the course is, to my mind, right – even if the execution is sometimes inadequate.
The Dish 