A Lebanese journalist discusses the potential for democracy in the Middle East

I really think that's what's happening in Lebanon and the wider region provides a really unprecedented opportunity to do something which we've never done, certainly in my lifetime, and maybe in most of this century, or the last century, which is for Americans and Arabs to work together on the basis of a shared objective and common values and to work politically together to achieve goals that we articulate together. This has never been done before. Arabs and Americans are most of the time criticizing each other or attacking each other or fighting each other.
The reality is that there is a moment of change in the Middle East, and it's not as the White House says — due to the American war in Iraq. The American war in Iraq may have some influences here and there, and we can't rule it out. Mostly, the war in Iraq has created problems and generated instabilities and violence and tensions and fears throughout the Middle East. But it's possible that Bush's idea that the Iraq war, overthrowing this tyranny might then start promoting democracy in the Middle East. That may happen; you can't rule it out. I think the chances of it happening in that kind of linear order are slim.
More likely is what I think has started to happen already, which is that indigenous movements for democracy and human rights and freedom and accountability in the Arab world are starting to pick up steam, and you're starting to get rare examples, but important examples, of a convergence between Arabs working at the grassroots level for democracy, freedom and human rights converging with American and European pressure from overseas.