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This story is troubling, but quite possibly true. American intelligence agencies are pointing out that the war in Iraq has further ingrained anti-U.S. sentiment in the Middle East.

To see where this idea comes from, we obviously have to first look at the situation in Iraq. One can be optimistic for the country's future, but I think any reasonable assessment will indicate that things aren't going so well. Therefore, U.S. control of the government isn't thoroughly suppressing the terrorists there.

Second, one must understand the causes of terrorism. Suicide bombers tend to actually come from the middle and upper classes, and some poor, Muslim countries have no notable terrorist leanings. The common threads seem to be that (1) terrorists come from countries where they cannot participate in politics, (2) violent objections to U.S. policies (such as supporting Israel, invading Iraq or stationing troops in Saudi Arabia) provide an outlet and (3) oftentimes, extreme religious beliefs play a role.

Essentially, there is a tradeoff to be made when it comes to U.S. policy. It may be possible to plant democracy in the Middle East, increase stability and protect human rights. But we have to recognize that involvement in the region turns radical segments of the society against us. (This book makes a similar case, though I haven't read it yet.)

Robert VerBruggen blogs at http://robertsrationale.blogspot.com.

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