http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2011/mar/10/new-american-pessimism/#comments For me the problem is that the USA are today more similar to Saudi Arabia of yesterday than with Saudi Arabia of tomorrow.
I explain.
In Saudi Arabia of yesterday the addiction in petroleum (only export product), the political importance of the religion and the concentration of wealth and political power in the hands of few they were always the main social characteristics. The Americans are also addicted in petroleum (imported of Middle East), they are also seeing the religion increase as political force and they also saw his democracy turn a plutocracy because, in reason of the rules of the game, the American politicians are forced to give up everything to the bankers, industrial ones and millionaires that make donations for their electoral campaigns.
Saudi Arabia of tomorrow, after passing for a similar process to the that already happened in Egypt and Tunisia and it is happening in Libya and Syria will be similar to Turkey. But the Arab spring won't arrive in the USA, because most of the Americans still believe in the "American dream" in spite of his fucking country it turned an Arab nightmare.