ABSTRACT
At first blush, the idea that the United States, working with other nations, should initiate, guide, and finance economic development, and the introduction of democratic regimes to the nations of the Middle East—just as it did in post-World War II Germany and Japan—is very appealing. From a humanitarian viewpoint, one cannot help but be moved by the idealism of helping scores of millions of people who are currently unemployed and poor, including many children and young people, and who live under oppressive regimes, to gain the kind of life Americans so rightly cherish. From a realpolitik viewpoint, one can readily see that to end terrorism that threatens the United States and its allies and insurgencies that destabilize the Middle East, military means will not suffice.
