Imagine if the United States, in its war against Hitler, had said to Stalin: we don't want your support until you make your country democratic.

Those who warned that Gorbachev was being put under too much pressure were wrong.

I have no doubt that given a real choice, the vast majority of Muslims and Arabs, like everyone else will choose a free society over a fear society.

Will dissent be permitted? The answer to that question will determine whether the society is a free society or a fear society.

The central premise behind Oslo was that if Arafat were given enough legitimacy, territory, weapons and money, he would use his power to fight terror and make peace with Israel.

The message of the free world to any potential Palestinian leadership should be a simple one: Embrace democratic reform and we will embrace you.

This scepticism is the same scepticism I heard a generation ago in the USSR when few thought that a democratic transformation behind the iron curtain was possible.