Juan Cole: The Democracy Lie

The Democracy Lie
Juan Cole
March 18, 2005

President Bush and his supporters are taking credit for spreading freedom across the Middle East. Middle East expert Cole disputes the domino theory in the region and labels Iraq—at best—a failed state. Where changes are genuinely occurring they have nothing to do with the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Juan Cole is a professor of modern Middle Eastern and South Asian history at the University of Michigan. He runs a blog on Middle Eastern affairs called Informed Comment. This article first appeared on Salon.com.