Islam and Democratization in Asia By Shiping Hua

have once again brought the region to a pre–September 11, 2001, political equilibrium where the United States seeks to maintain a temporary stability in collaboration with states in the face of pressing demands for change from the masses.

America's post–September 11 foreign policy had one fundamentally new idea—that democracy was an antidote to terrorism. This idea basically emerged from the reluctant recognition that one reason why terrorism thrived in the Middle East was the proliferation of undemocratic authoritarian regimes that promised much but delivered little on the economic front (Jordan and Egypt, for example) and repressed their masses and obstructed any political reform in the face of insistent demands for change. But now, however, through some really bizarre logic, the U.S. administration has concluded that America's failure in Iraq and the electoral successes of Islamists, especially those of Hamas and Hezbollah, make the democracy-promotion policy highly undesirable. The abandonment of the democracy-promotion policy is illogical since it has succeeded to some extent; both Hamas and Hezbollah have since been busy with the machinations of democracy and have indulged in very little terrorism. Hamas' goal at the moment appears to be “how to get EU aid without recognizing Israel,” rather than “what can we do today to destroy the Zionist entity.” Nevertheless, Washington curiously prefers an authoritarian Middle East with terrorism, rather than a democratic Middle East with Islamists in power.

The United States government will be making a big mistake by not supporting democracy in the region out of fear that it would lead to Islamization. Democracy clearly has a moderating influence on Islamists. The struggle of Hamas to adjust its agenda from ideological to a more pragmatic one by accepting a power-sharing arrangement with the opposition in order to pursue a larger, less partisan good despite winning it all is a positive sign that Islamists will persist on the democratic pathway. The emergence of an Islamist AKP (Justice and Development Party) in Turkey is another example of how democratic participation moderates Islamism. Second, people's expectations are already rising and they will continue to press for more political reform. If Washington returns to