As we draw closer and closer to war with Iraq, I think a few points need to be made. The result of the attacks on September 11, 2001 have forever altered the foreign policy position of the United States towards the Middle East. What at one time appeared to be U.S. cooperation with the Arab dictatorships in exchange for a smooth supply of oil has evolved into a policy of regime change whereby the U.S. will systematically convert these countries to thriving democracies. We are witnessing the next crusades. This time, however, the motive is not forced conversion to a religion but rather to a particular political-economic system. The U.S. has allowed dictators such as Saddam Hussein, King Fahd, Crown Prince Abdullah, Muammar Al-Qaddafi etc. to reign free so long as they kept their terrorist cells in check; 9-11 changed all that. With the obvious development, training and encouragement from the Middle Eastern countries, these terrorist cells have forced the U.S. to take the necessary steps to protect its own interests as well as its very survival. Diplomacy with these dictatorships is no longer a viable option. The Middle East is a very unstable region similiar to what Europe was like before World War 1 and the end of World War 2. Now there is the existence of the European Union. Unfortunately, it required two wars to accomplish this. As with Europe, dictators do not go easily. They must be vanquished. The first Gulf War did not go far enough, now we must fight another to insure the stability of the region by replacing dictatorships with democracies. Until we are victorious, the world is not safe for democracy, capitalism or the United States.