This book shows why idealism offers the soundest basis for U.S. policy.

Right now, Bush is unpopular. The war in Iraq is unpopular. But I believe that the idea of spreading democracy to the Middle East by peaceful means is popular and will remain so.

History shows that democracy can take root even under the most difficult conditions and that democratic societies are largely peaceful.

Support for dissent and reform in the Middle East is an investment in a free and democratic future for the region.

Personal and Intellectual History

Alan Johnson: You were raised in a devoutly socialist family in the 1950s, and spent your adolescence running the US young socialist movement in the 1960s and early 1970s. As an adult you have been a leading figure in the neoconservative movement. People will assume a single rupture was involved in...