People Have Multiple Identities.

Religiosity Distinguishes America From Most Other Western Societies. Americans Are Also Overwhelmingly Christian, Which Distinguishes Them From Many Non-western Peoples. Their Religiosity Leads Americans To See The World In Terms Of Good And Evil To A Much Greater Extent Than Most Other Peoples.

The Colonial Experience All Muslim Countrieswent Through May Be A Factor In The Fight Against Western Domination, British, French Or Whatever. They Were Until Recently Largely Rural Societies With Land Owning Governing Elites In Most Of Them. I Think They Are Certainly Moving Toward Urbanization And Much More Pluralistic Political Systems. In Almost Every Muslim Country, That Is Occurring. Obviously They Are Increasing Their Involvement With Non-muslim Societies. One Peak Aspect Of This, Of Course, Is The Migration Of Muslims Into Europe.

There Are Lots Of Conflicts Going On In The Middle East. It Is Unclear As To Which Country Will Emerge, If Any, As The Dominant Or Hegemonic Power In The Middle East.

Civilizations Evolve Over Time, And Most Scholars Of Civilization, Including People Like Carol Quigley, Argue That They Go Through Periods Of Warring States, And Eventually Evolve Into A Universal State.

I Think Clearly The United States, As Well As Other Western Nations, Should Stand By Their Commitments To Human Rights And Democracy And Should Try To Influence Other Countries To Move In That Direction.