Saddam's ouster will not necessarily lead to the same result, since Iraq lacks democratic traditions. Democracy doesn't just consist of holding elections.

I think there's nothing more dangerous than mislearning lessons of history, and we do it perpetually.

Democracy doesn't just consist of holding elections.

Since the days of Peter the Great, Russians have been maybe Europeans who didn't share in the enlightenment and the reformation, or are they Mongol Asians with the European veneer. And they've gone back and forth.

Much of what we know about mathematics and trade comes from the Arabs. Then came stagnation, and now they're the West's whipping boy. This is a problem that cannot be solved overnight, and certainly not militarily.

If Iraq were to descend into chaos, the Europeans would feel the effects just as much as we would.

I think above all, what we need with Iran is patience.