Democracy vs. Terrorism

In my last post I failed to mention something that's been lingering in the back of my head for a while: what makes the administration so sure that a democratic Iraq "will never again be a safe haven for terrorists"? The experiences of democratic societies such as Northern Ireland, Spain, Israel and Oklahoma City suggest that terrorism can thrive for generations regardless of the political system in place. As the latest Foreign Affairs came in the mail last week I began to go over some back issues I hadn't had time to finish, and lo and behold, in the September/October issue there is a piece by F. Gregory Gause III entitled "Can Democracy Stop Terrorism?". The answer is likely "no", and the article explains why much better than I could.