The risk of political transitions that may lead to the victory of Islamist parties is a democratic paradox that Europe and the US must accept if they are to devise inclusive reform policies – in other words, policies that are the polar opposite of the type of democratic imposition practiced in occupied Iraq. Indeed, one of the less fortunate consequences of the intervention in Iraq was to reinforce the notion of a “clash of civilizations” between the West from Islam, which in turn serves to create a climate favorable to Islamist movements.
如果欧洲和美国想要设计出包含各方在内的改革政策，也就是与在被占领的伊拉克强加民主所截然相反的政策，它们就必须接受政治转型可能导致伊斯兰党派获胜风险这一民主悖论。的确，干预伊拉克导致的更为不幸的后果之一就是强化西方与伊斯兰之间“文明的冲突”的观念，而这一冲突反过来又会创造一种有利于伊斯兰运动的气候。