Democracy is, after all, more than mere voting. Since the Middle East's autocratic regimes destroyed their liberal oppositions, in many countries radical Islamists represent the only dissent, feeding on widespread resentment of corrupt regimes, opposition to American policies, and popular fears of modernization and globalization.
毕竟，民主不只是投票选举。由于自由反对派被中东独裁政权彻底摧毁，因此在很多国家，激进的伊斯兰教徒是唯一敢于反抗的声音，对腐败政权的普遍仇恨、对美国政策的持续反抗和对现代化、全球化的普遍恐惧成了它们赖以生存的土壤。