Fundamentalist tendencies and movements existed, so far as I know, in all societies and civilizations.

I've been to Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait for brief visits at conferences, and they are very interesting countries.

Maybe Iraq will come back and become the dominant power among Arab countries. That seems to me as conceivable.

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.

The basis of association and antagonism among countries has changed over time.

Two significant developments in the past several decades have been the collapse of communism as an ideology and the general acceptance, in rhetoric, if not practice, of liberal democracy.

Since the revolution of the 18th century, America has basically had an ideology of liberal democracy and constitutionalism.