Michael J. Totten: Nasser’s Biggest Crime: Michael is talking to the Egyptian Big Pharaoh " 'Nasser’s biggest crime was not establishing democracy when he took over,' he said. 'Back then, Egyptian people were liberal. It would have worked then. But not now.'

Progress is a funny thing. We Westerners like to think it moves in a straight line. In America that’s pretty much how it is. No serious person would argue that American culture was more liberal and tolerant in the 1950s than it is now. But Egypt, amazingly, moved in exactly the other direction."

Michael's theory is that Muslim countries will have to experience Islamism, like Iran, Afghanistan, & Algeria, before they learn to reject it in practice.

I think there is a window of opportunity for Westerner's to invest in Egypt, rather than give aid, and give hope thru jobs. Not politics.

There is also a possibility for devolution of central power to the cities/ states, so that some can be more Muslim than others? Not sure such a Federal model can work in Egypt, where Big Pharaoh says Egyptians are a "flock, a herd, following a shephard."