Thomas Schaller, Political Science, in the Baltimore Sun

In “Do Mideast Revolutions Vindicate Bush?,” Tom Schaller, associate professor of political science, argues “organic democracies do not result from invasion, even if that invasion is led by the world’s oldest democracy.” Governments trying to promote democracy abroad can offer resources and ideas or promote favorable conditions for revolution, but ultimately, says Schaller, “real democracies must emerge on their own.” Noting the role of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube—technologies created in the U.S.—in recent events in Bahrain, Yemen, Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, Schaller provocatively notes, “It’s stunning, even humbling, to consider that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg may end up doing more to secure peace and expand democracy across the globe than Henry Kissinger, Cyrus Vance, George Schultz, James Baker, Madeleine Albright or Hillary Clinton ever could.” This is the latest in a bi-weekly article series Schaller writes for the Baltimore Sun.