<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"><DIV>Robert Kaplan is a repulsive creature, but he is more honest than most about the drawbacks of democratically-elected governments in relation to U.S. "interests." He is the voice of honest "realism" at the NYT, and honestly reflects their less forthcoming editorial board.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<P>"Another thing to keep in mind: in terms of American interests and regional peace, there is plenty of peril in democracy. It was not democrats, but Arab autocrats, Anwar Sadat of Egypt and King Hussein of Jordan, who made peace with Israel. An autocrat firmly in charge can make concessions more easily than can a weak, elected leader — just witness the fragility of Mahmoud Abbas’s West Bank government. And it was democracy that brought the extremists of Hamas to power in Gaza. In fact, do we really want a relatively enlightened leader like King Abdullah in Jordan undermined by widespread street demonstrations? We should be careful what we wish for in the Middle East."</P>
<P> </P>
<P><A href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/opinion/23kaplan.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212&pagewanted=all">http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/opinion/23kaplan.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212&pagewanted=all</A></P>
<P> </P></DIV></div><br>
</body></html>