Pipes makes sense - where in history have we seen anything different - even the American revolution wasn't a rush job.

Submitted by Dallas (Canada), Feb 5, 2011 at 01:45

Egalitarian democracy with all the freedoms that Western nations enjoy is not something that can happen instantly. As Daniel outlines, there are many steps to this kind of system and it can't happen in a week. Hamas in Gaza is a good example. Amid chaos the strong horse has a way of stepping in. The Russian revolution was another example of a rush job, and Lenin and the Bolsheviks seized power. Not Utopia in either case. Iran... a totalitarian theocracy.

Egyptians can do a proper job of nation-building but if they want a free democracy in a hurry they will end up with a legally-elected tyrant.

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