For some time our elites, on both sides of the aisle, have argued that our problems in the Muslim world have been caused by the so-called "few extremists" who've "hijacked" a great faith. But the Arab Spring may very well show the emptiness of that rhetoric. When the crowd (and not the military) finally rules in Egypt, what kind of government will it produce? If the Syrian protestors overthrow Assad, will they recognize Israel? Will they forsake their support for Hezbollah's terrorist mini-state?
Perhaps it is time for America to grapple with the same questions that Israelis have grappled with (at least) since 1948, when the newly-independent nation was immediately attacked by no less than seven Muslim countries. What if the problem isn't a "few extremists" exploiting Israeli or American missteps? What if there's literally nothing that America or Israel can do to placate vast segments of the Muslim world?
What do we do if political Islam is the problem?