Tonight, in his home in Jerusalem, Professor Zeev Sternhell--renowned scholar, vocal criticizer of Israel policy of settlements, and an admired teacher--was the target for a pipe-bomb set-up, probably by right-wing Jewish terrorists. Thankfully, Sternhell was injured only lightly. This internal terror act demonstrates that violence knows no restrictions, and that there is no insurance for a stable democracy.

In Security First Amitai Etzioni discusses two types of people: Warriors and Preachers, or put differently, Extremists and Moderates. The former are those who embrace violence to pursue their aims. The latter are those who eschew violence and use only peaceful means to achieve their aims. These categories extend across nations (and civilizations). Each nation--including democratic ones--has its own warriors and its own preachers, and the warriors only await to forcefully compel their own methods. Extended unjust war and occupation provides a good opportunity for warriors to implement their modus operandi. For example, during the war in Vietnam the United States suffered political and social violence at home, with events such as the Kent State massacre and Watergate.

Contemporary Israel is also a victim of internal violence following decades of occupying Palestine. Israeli extremists have free reign in the occupied territories and they also utilize violence internally--in Israel--whenever it serves their aims. Former victims of Israeli extremist groups are peace activist Emile Greenzweig and Prime Minister Yithak Rabin. Tonight, Zeev Sternhell was targeted and, thankfully, spared. We need to be aware that not only newly democratized societies face difficulties. Partaking in unjust wars, and the extremist activities these wars foster at home, pose grave risks for established and consolidated democracies as well.

Now I wish to return to the issue of promoting democracy abroad. Michael Contarino is entirely right in his two, crucial points. First, democratization is an agenda that must not be abandoned. Supporting and promoting democracy is an important constituent of the U.S. moral authority, and also of what Joseph Nye termed "soft power". Hence, promoting democracy is important on both strategic and moral grounds. However, and this is Contarino's second point, democratization is a complex social phenomenon that requires patient work and international consensus-building. It must involve (and must take roots) in most of the politically articulate groups in the target society. It is not, as Etzioni aptly reminds us, a job for cruise missiles, bombers, and the Marines.

Democratization won't be achieved by military force, mainly because democracy is not simply about elections. Democracy is grounded in norms, values and codes of conduct that sanctify discussion and mutual respect. There is no room in democracy for the violent and forceful imposition of one owns opinions. If this is indeed the essence of democracy how can we expect to create it using force? How is it possible to disseminate non-violent norms by violence? It is not only impossible from the point of view of political sociology, it is also internally incoherent; it is logically impossible. Moreover, this internal incoherence would undermine the democratic nature of the democratizing state. Forcing democracy on others ipso facto undermines one's own democracy.

We now have three major points. First, supporting and promoting democracy is strategically and morally important. Second, democratization is no task to be carried out forcefully and militarily, nor is it a task to be implemented unilaterally. Third, if it is attempted militarily, it will not only fail but will also disable the democratic values of the state that attempts to so democratize others. Violence, force and deceit will find their way into the internal culture of this state; non-violent norms, values, and codes of conduct will erode, thereby creating a violent and deceitful society (manipulated by extremists), which knows no other means to solve its internal disagreements then by resorting to force.

The U.S. will do itself and the world a great favor by regaining its sanity and abandoning the neoconservative agenda of forceful democratization carried out by unjust war (though without forsaking the support for long-term democratization processes). This is necessary to the stability of the Middle East, to the wellbeing of international relations, to the Afghan and Iraqi peoples, and to the resilience of its own democratic norms, values, and codes of conduct.