In the past, America has often erred in its analysis of Middle Eastern crises. Washington’s self-confidence regarding the superiority of its democratic system, and the appropriateness of the free market concept as the economic model for the 21st century, may prove to be exaggerated with respect to Iraq and the entire Arab world. From its own short experience in Middle Eastern diplomacy, Israel has painfully learnt that democracy and modernisation are not necessarily the best tools for the advancement of peace and well-being in the Middle East, especially when marketed from Jerusalem or Washington. The expected American failure to transform Iraq into a pro-western democracy might, in the final analysis, also cause damage to the U.S.’s staunchest allies in the area – Turkey and Israel...Please click here to read the text in full.