Who's Afraid of Mideast Democracy?

The logical answer to that would be that any ideological group is a legitimate political force as long as it operates in the political arena and according to the rules of politics. And these rules require that the group bring voters on its side through debate etc, not through violent or coercive means. Politics the world over is a dirty game, but nowhere is it acceptable to argue from a point of vantage behind the barrel of a gun. The Muslim Brotherhood, the Sinn Fein, a host of others, gave up their guns to become political actors, regardless of whether they were radical or not. The Taliban, however, have consistently refused to turn take that route. Perhaps we should be thankful that they are not asking for themselves to be voted into power.