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At the end of World War II in 1945, there were roughly 20 democracies in the world.  Today there are around 120.  There can be no doubt that democracy has been spreading and hopefully the trend will continue.

America has the right idea when it strives to bring democracy to the Middle East with the rationale being that free and fair elections and public participation with accountable leaders will make the region less likely to raise radical societies.  However, the way the U.S. has gone about defining and spreading democracy leaves much to be desired.

Hamas's election victory over Fatah is one example of Washington failing to balance our values with our interests. In fact, it is hard to imagine the scenario where Hamas will be ousted from Gaza.  Of the myriad of reasons that we are nowhere close to seeing a Palestinian-Israeli peace, the fact that a terrorist group runs Gaza and is pledged to Israel's destruction renders even the Powerball odds of a peace deal impossible.  Why even buy the ticket?