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Mideast Unrest a Change the World Should Believe In

(Ha'aretz) Natasha Mozgovaya - Middle East scholar Prof. Fouad Ajami of Johns Hopkins University said in an interview: "I think Israel should not be afraid of Arab democracy. I've been very friendly to Israel and the prospects of reconciliation between Israel and the Arab world, so take this as advice from a friend. I can remind you of what Natan Sharansky pointed out when he said that democrats who hate you are less dangerous than dictators who love you. There is a certain level of security that comes from autocracies, and Israel is not alone in this. The United States went to many lands and preferred dealing with autocrats because there is stability there. But the bargain with an autocrat is never a good bargain." "Israel had made peace with pharaohs, but the peace between Israel and the Arab people has not yet come....Dictators that made peace with Israel and an accommodation with the U.S. - they always played from the bottom of the deck and always resorted to anti-Americanism, anti-modernism and anti-Semitism....But in the long run, if you want a long-lasting peace, you have to be willing to bet on this democratic experiment." The Egyptians, Ajami is convinced, will maintain the peace agreement. "Not because they love Israel, but because they know the history of what happened in the Arab-Israeli wars of the past. I think the military will keep this peace. It was Sadat who made the peace and Mubarak kept it. The military is going to be very important in Egypt, come what may."
2011-02-25 00:00:00
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