Former President Bush asked the same question:
There will certainly be setbacks. But if America does not support the advance of democratic institutions and values, who will?
And he rightly notes that complaints that Islamists are trying to take advantage of the Arab Spring does not invalidate the idea of freedom. The alternative wasn't to keep the status quo. The choice was showing what side we are on when change comes:
America does not get to choose if a freedom revolution should begin or end in the Middle East or elsewhere. It only gets to choose what side it is on.
And as I've written repeatedly, he writes that we have to remain involved in post-autocracies to make sure that the first election isn't just a veneer of democracy to name the next autocrat:
As Americans, our goal should be to help reformers turn the end of tyranny into durable, accountable civic structures. Emerging democracies need strong constitutions, political parties committed to pluralism, and free elections. Free societies depend upon the rule of law and property rights, and they require hopeful economies, drawn into open world markets.
This work will require patience, creativity and active American leadership.
Don't despair that Islamists are trying to subvert the options for freely choosing rulers. Rejoice that a choice is possible. And work to make the system work. A real revolution is more than just Twittering under "#downwiththedictator".
George W. Bush may yet earn the title, George the Liberator, that I used more than five years ago.
