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Similar expectations in Washington and among Western politicians and intellectuals—that the so-called Arab Spring would end up looking like a rerun of the 1989 political spring in central and eastern Europe and usher in an era of a New Peace in the Middle East—proved to be wishful thinking. These movements have actually helped strengthen political forces that are opposed to the principles embodied in the Enlightenment project, including religious freedom and women's rights. The Muslim world is not being feminized.

China and India also provide interesting case studies in examining Pinker's thesis and the notion that liberal democracy is on the rise. China has embraced its unique form of capitalism in order to create wealth. But contrary to the expectations...