In my view, oil cannot be separated from the geopolitical equations of the Middle East. At the same time, however, I believe it is misleading to attribute the roots of this conflict to oil alone. In order to defeat communism or the so called evil empire, the U.S. found strange bedfellows among Islamic fundamentalists and stayed ambivalent about them for almost a decade after the old adversary was defeated. The tragic events of September 11, or in Professor Fred Halliday's words the two hours that shook the world, changed the paradigm of international relations forever.

The world of the 21st century will not be one in which tyrants and fanatics are supported and appeased by democracies. It will be a world built on alliance of democracies, which together deal the final blow to fundamentalism and terrorism. I see Iraq's liberation as the first step towards that end. Although this may take more than a decade. The U.S. has come to realize the importance of security in the region and the inseparable relationship between security and democracy in that region and will work toward that through next decades.

I truly hope that this leads to democratization of the region and peace for everyone just as U.S. intervention in Europe brought prosperity to the continent.