The plan for America and the West is to confront, not retreat from Islamic threats, defeat such threatening forces and transform such societies into fledgling democracies.

In Western societies, it is generally accepted that an adversary respects a nation out of fear, if for no other reason. Such was the case in the Cold War between the Soviets and America. The Soviets not only contained their aggressive designs of world conquest through destabilization because of America's intractable stand (led by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan), but they became demoralized and irretrievably weakened to the point of collapse. Seventy-two years of posturing as unconquerable bullies collapsed almost overnight.

In stark contrast, Arabic Islamic societies appear to neither fear nor respect the West, and America in particular. To them, whether real or perceived, America is the infidel, deserving extinction from the face of the earth. Some Arabs—like the Wahabis in particular—are obsessed with the destruction of the West and America.

Bernard Lewis recounted chatting with some Arab friends in Amman, Jordan, when one of them unthinkingly trotted out a familiar argument common to that corner of the world. "We have time, we can wait. We got rid of the Crusaders. We got rid of the Turks. We'll get rid of the Jews."

Lewis wasn't impressed and decided to clarify his Arabic friend's misunderstanding: "Excuse me, but you've got your history wrong. The Turks got rid of the Crusaders. The British got rid of the Turks. The Jews got rid of the British. I wonder who is coming here next" (The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 3). Mr. Lewis' point indicated that most Islamic countries fail to modernize their societies, which of itself beckons outsiders—most recently the United States and the coalition forces—to intervene. (Source: The Wall Street Journal.)