The biggest news on the world stage recently is the uprising of the people against the government in Egypt. There is a lot to be hopeful about in this, but there is a deep underlying problem. We, as a nation, find ourselves in the odd position of being friends of the dictators that are about to be (or in the case of Tunisia have been) overthrown. Why do we work with dictators who oppress the people? We do this because we fear Arab democracies.

Right now, it is in vogue to think that if we just get rid of Arab dictators that Jeffersonian Democracy will take root all over the Middle East. This was the second justification for the War in Iraq (when no weapons of mass destruction were found). This assertion is not just dubious—it is most assuredly false. It can only be made by a culture who has no clue about how we arrived at the place of blessing that we inhabit.

Democracy, shared power, checks and balances, and servant leadership did not happen by random in America. They occurred here because we had a thousand years of training in Trinitarian living. The Trinity shares power. Each person gives Himself in loving sacrifice for the Other. Christ, by His humility, took up the cross, sacrificed Himself for His Bride and laid the foundation for a civilization built on the reflection of this sacrifice. The church has been called to reflect this self-sacrificial glory in the world. The West has imperfectly reflected this truth. Now, however, we have jettisoned Christianity and we still have some of the blessings won for us over the last millennium of Christian discipleship. These are fading. Our Constitution is becoming more a symbol of past freedom rather than a protector of current freedom. We think—because we have the blessing without the Blesser (Jesus)—that everyone can have it this way. It will not be. It cannot be. Islam is very different than Christianity. Allah is not a Trinity. He is an all powerful unity that crushes down all around him. In Islamic countries leaders tend to use power in this way. We tend to look at this use of power and call it corrupt or we shake our heads in disgust. We should not be surprised. They culture is their religion externalized. Our culture is our religion (or the vestiges of our former religion) externalized. Islamic democracy will take one of three directions. All are bad:

1. It will be bloody until one party gets enough power to grind the others into submission. The party most likely to do this are the radical Islamist parties. They have the advantage of believing that violence is sometimes a necessary means to bring in the kingdom (they join Marxists and Fascists in this). This radical will attain power and crush opposition (and anyone else) with it.
2. Secular forces will take power, but will find it hard to ever get popular support. They will be like the seeds on the rocky soil. The people are not Trinitarian or Jeffersonian. These secular forces will align themselves with the West and have their hand out for money and military aid. Mubarak is this right now. Saudi Arabia is another example. These leaders align with the West, attain power, and crush their people with it.
3. They will slide into chaos. This is what will happen in Afghanistan whenever we leave. Afghanistan is not a country, but hundreds of little Islamic countries (some as big as a valley) led by warlords who use power to crush other warlords—and, sadly, the people.

A classical Christian education (and a study of history) helps you see the hubris that passes for international policy now on the left and right. We must be careful in how we handle this situation. Islamic democracy might be coming. I wonder what we will think of it when it arrives!