Is the neo-con movement past its peak? Judge for yourself when you evaluate Francis Fukuyama thought provoking piece in the NYT. There are three things worth noting as they reflect themes often presented here on Peaktalk:

What is initially universal is not the desire for liberal democracy but rather the desire to live in a modern — that is, technologically advanced and prosperous — society, which, if satisfied, tends to drive demands for political participation. Liberal democracy is one of the byproducts of this modernization process, something that becomes a universal aspiration only in the course of historical time.

Which of course finds its proof in the emerging nations of East and South-East Asia where freedom has lagged wealth creation.

And some words for Europe too:

Meeting the jihadist challenge is more of a "long, twilight struggle" whose core is not a military campaign but a political contest for the hearts and minds of ordinary Muslims around the world. As recent events in France and Denmark suggest, Europe will be a central battleground in this fight.

Precisely, although the political struggle will be accompanied by surges of violence that may come perilously close to militarizing Europe's streets.

And nailing down the jihadist threat:

Radical Islamism is a byproduct of modernization itself, arising from the loss of identity that accompanies the transition to a modern, pluralist society. It is no accident that so many recent terrorists, from Sept. 11's Mohamed Atta to the murderer of the Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh to the London subway bombers, were radicalized in democratic Europe and intimately familiar with all of democracy's blessings. More democracy will mean more alienation, radicalization and — yes, unfortunately — terrorism.

Fukuyama's has a valid point in arguing - like Fareed Zakaria in The Future of Freedom - that in creating stable and free societies, the social and economic foundations will have to come first. Democracy can only thrive when a stable and civic society is already in place. And that of course is the ultimate pitfall in Iraq and the Palestinian territories, where the 'democracy first apporach' has turned out to be a dicey game given the absence of any civic structure and basic prosperity. But that doesn't mean these projects have failed, nor would it imply that neo-conservatism is past its peak. But, a number of assumptions have to be tested against our democratization experiences in the Middle East and against the realization that there are no quick and easy fixes. We will need some tweaks and adjustments and we will even have to work with democratically elected regimes - yes, that's you Hamas - that do not quite fit our standards of governance.

NOTE: Roger Simon has some comments on the journalistic aspects of Fukuyama's piece.