Freedom from those democracy cliches

Political man is a complicated species. Cultural conditions and histories differ widely. Humility in the interpretation and prediction of human nature is the wisest bet.

The evolving "Arab Spring", as the media term it, in the Middle East and North Africa is viewed through Western eyes as if it's the transformation of "Ali Baba and the Seven Thieves" into Thomas Jefferson and the International Court of Justice. This is a joke, and an insult to the Arab political man.

Western eyes are often shaded by ideological or provincial thinking. Other political cultures arise from different circumstances than the West and shape their thinking accordingly. Western democratic forms of government transplant only with dignity and are no cure-all.