Arabs/Muslims are not ready for democracy, and may never be. If there any Muslim majority countries that are true democracies, it is because they have moderated traditional Muslim theology to allow non-Muslims to live in peace.

This is pure myopia. The Muslim Brotherhood didn't emerge with G.W. Bush. It emerged over 50-years ago and no amount of Egyptian persecution seems to get rid of it! And, perhaps, if we had encouraged the creation of civil and democratic institutions in the PA during Arafat's time (we had nearly 7-years to do so before the intifada) it might have been harder for that dictator to murder so many of our people. Perhaps, moderate Palestinians would have said no, we're not going to start a suicidal war with the Israelis instead of a quasi-dictatorship that followed every order of that deranged terrorist! How is Guy Bechor even allowed to write? This is pure fantasy and myopia.

either. Just turn a blind eye. You only notice the change when they come and drag you out into the street in the middle of the night. Who and what they vote into office.....is every Jews business.

Talk about myopic and distorted !

You mean you'd like dictatorship end censorship in Israel too?

Yea yea, here we go again with the "if only" scenarios. Sure, the Palestinians would have emerged to be the only other viable democracy in the muddle east. Wrong. The Palestinian leadership was never interested in democracy. The big mistake was letting the Tunisian based thugs in to take over from the local leadership, who might have made a go of it. Instead, the Smiths of Tel Aviv celebrated and danced when Arafat made his triumphant pseudo "return" to "Palestine" (Arafat was Egyptian, born in Cairo). Smith would have us believe that Arafat, Rajoub, Shaath, Dahlan, and all the other Fatah henchmen would have embraced democracy and run with it? They were too busy building their business monopolies and raking in the donor money and rigged tenders. Get off it, Smith. It wasn't going to happen and isn't going to happen.

dictionary does not mean you should use it just for the sake of using it.

When they tried it a disaster had became.For instance : Lebanon,no comment.Algeria,FIS won the polls and the military stage a coup.PA,Hamas won. In general,if it were free elections in arab world,the clear consequences woul be islamic regimes whose first measures would be jihad and forbidding new polls.

I agree with you in almost every word you said, theoretically it's right... But one important negative point is that the brutal regimes now in the middle east threw the blame on Israelis and Americans whenever it's possible, that won't create anything but more hate, when Israel most of the time has nothing to deal with it, and I mean it.. most of the time. Showing to the other countries that if it's not dictatorship, it's going to be Islamic rule is totally out of context, this is just the image they want to show to scare you and every western country, which Mubarak has been using in the past decades. Moderate religious or non-radical liberals can rule, and this point Israel won't be in fear because at this time peace can occur on a solid ground through leaders chosen by the people, and a country like Egypt can work with it's good relations with Israel to ease a better way of negotiations and help with real peace in the middle east, if you wish to get up one day finding your beloved country no longer in war. Thanks for taking your time reading this....

The right to vote does not mean democracy. The right of free speech, gathering, open business, education, equal opportunity - these are the real signs of democracy, and these are the rules one must adhere to to be democratic.

somebody has said the truth. One can't impose one's culture and social values on a country existing in a different world. The results of such attempts is what we face now. (And Israel is the first to have to pay for them)

I disagree that having American puppet dictatorships is a good thing. First, the American dictatorships prevent any chance of peace with Israel. They must incite against Israel to keep the Arab citizens' attention away from the corruption. For Israel, democratically elected Jihad regimes are no worse than American supported dictatorships. Second, the puppet dictatorships are the cause of anti-Western terror. Al Kaida exists to fight the Saudis and their American sponsors. To appease these groups, people like Obama will always sacrifice Israel. Third, the dictatorships will end. Mubarak will be dead soon and the 95% votes won't help the Americans when the Brotherhood takes over.

israil was existed becouse of these arab rulars .it is not becouse they fear america or was fear britian .. it is for their interest as it was for their interest ... the ladder is still standing but the ground will never be stable forever ..if it is not to day it will be tomorrow .and tomorrow is not so far

dead people would never vote if they would asked something it will be to return to life to do their best .. voting is not the best even to living bodies /// look to the picture ..the woman carries a bag of flour on her head do not notice the many picture on the wall . people here in middle east its priority to eat and live sure these numbers of voting is the big lie ..but i think silence will be broken very soon ..there are heads do not need flour bags on their heads

Brotherhood won't take over, liberals in Egypt won't allow it, and they are a lot..

Shabbat Shalom, Steven! Wow, I thought I was alone up here. :) Your post is important in that it says a lot in just 4 sentences. We can't just ignore it when the people are put into (or remain in) office in the countries surrounding Israel are the ones who have been demanding its destruction. Israel needs to advocate for, support and pray for people to come to power who will at least recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. My optimism tonight is not at its highest point, though. The Muslim states _seem_ only able to produce two types of leaders: 1) Awful and 2) Somehow Even Worse. I could be wrong, but I can't think of a counterexample at the moment.

The writer asserts that there are 3 types of governments that the Islamic world is capable of producing. On their own, they will have a brutal dictatorship under the direction of a tyrant who is anything but benevolent. With Western assistance they will be able to approximate a democracy - but only long enough to become an Islamic Republic with Sharia law and nothing that remotely resembles democratic freedom. Or somewhere betwixt the two they will devolve into anarchy with factions killing and maiming each other, while at the same time still brutalizing the non-Muslims unfortunate enough to live in their land. All three will HATE Israel and still attempt to fulfill their stated goal of wiping the Jewish nation off the map. (although the optimistic Mr Bechor believes the savage dictators can at least keep the violent Islamic populists on a tight leash, understandably so the dictator can remain in power - a position I feel is too optimistic to be reliable) I'm trying to think of a counter-argument to this. Just one Muslim country that breaks this mold. And I can't. I've tried. This fact has MASSIVE implications, so I want to toss this out for someone to help with. Is there (or has there ever been) a single free, democratic Muslim nation that did not devolve into a blood-spattered anarchy or metastasize into a Sharia-based hell state? I'm really hoping someone out there can please give me an example.

In my neck of the woods, Malaysia and Indonesia come to mind. My son taught English in Indonesia for a while, and has returned a few times since then, because he likes the people so much. I don't know much about either country personally, apart from a quick check on Wikipedia, but I mention them anyway, in case they may be of interest to you in your research.

make any difference how the Arabs/Muslims govern themselves had it not been for the fact that they posess such massive weapons arsenal. Why?: because the "World" supplies them, why?: because they have oil that the "World" needs.-That's the common wisdom. I have a feeling, that what prompts the "World" to cravenly oblige the oil-producing dictatorships is their common hate of the Jew. By "common" I mean common to the Arabs AND the world, specially Europe. Otherwise I cannot imagine that the enire PLANET would have agreed to massive security measures at every step just for the sake of OIL. Had it been "the Jew" that caused a need for say, pat-downs at airports the World would've been brushing up on the "Art of crematoria-oven building" long time ago. What we (the Hebrews) need is a potent threat to the whole, deasesed (antisemitism IS a desease) World, so they'll shake in their boots every time a Jew goes by... just like they (we) do when an Arab sits next to us in a plane. All you need is Love? I don't think so...

with a facade of democracy. Like all muslim states, it reduces the majority to the lowest common denominator. Go live there if you cherish people who pray five times a day and lie, cheat and steal you blind. Wonderful religion as it impacts daily life. Voted the most corrupt business environment in SE Asia when we were there. Go back to theory. Who you serve is what you become.

Behor is right on. We are not responsible for Arab regimes and should not interfere nor try to impose a so called democracy. I might add to Behor's words that Israel wishes Mubarak good health and long life as the alternative for our neighbor is nothing better than a democratically elected monster called: Islamic Brotherhhood aka Hamas / Hisbala.

If the Muslim countries had true Democracy,they would have 2 candidates to choose from,Binladen and Achmedenijad,like the people of Europe during the dark ages,in Democratic elections could have picked either the violent fanaticDominicans (Dominico Cano,God's Dogs) or their Franciscan counter part ,who were no less violent,Democracy is not suitable to the Muslims,because the Muslims are intoxicated with the quranic opium,and as a result the Muslims are always high,and paranoid and can't make rational decisions,the Muslims have to replace their quranic Alla with the writings of Baruch Spinoza,the prophet of reason,than, will they be ready for Democracy.

When people are not ready for democracy, better leave them alone... lest they chose Islamist parties. At least, as long as Islamism is so popular in Muslim-majority countries, allowing true democratic elections there would amount to collective suicide. Who in their right minds want Gaza Redux in North Africa, in the Gulf etc...?

Indonesia was my first thought too, but I remembered hearing last week on NPR that because it's illegal in most areas for Christians to have a church, there was a group of Christians who got together to pray in an open field that was owned by one of them. They were set up on by a Muslim mob and beaten. So, no - a little too much Sharia and too much brutality toward non-Muslims to be a free, democratic nation. What began this is after reading this, I was thinking "no, the basis for this man's argument is racist. What about ..." And then I stopped, because I didn't have an example nation to finish the "what about." I gave up on this search late last night - the idea that a common faith could make one incapable of self-rule that doesn't descend into violent tyranny or mob violence is just too depressing. :p I'm grateful there is an Israel, among other things as an example of freedom and democracy. Now if Israel can keep from destroying its own foundations or giving itself away to its enemies ...