Yago sent me this: "You know this is going to be bad when you read the title of the piece. Here are some highlights.
"One day the world will thank Bush for shaking up the Arab region "
"Much
of the received wisdom from that time is worth reconsidering
ten years on: Do the Arabs really ‘hate us’ – to borrow the phrase used
endlessly in America? If anything, Arabs on the street, especially young
people, seems now to have aspirations closer to American values of
freedom and democracy.
In fact, the US may be stronger now in the region
than it was when it was allying itself to oppressive regimes. It is obviously more popular
with the youth who adopt US pop culture and dress. American soft power
is possibly more effective than the old precarious balancing act to keep
the Arab dictators in power. Post-colonial hang-ups about intervention
seem to have dissipated with the Arab Spring.
"
Why oh why do people like him persist?"
