Posner and Paul

I'm not suggesting that Judge Richard Posner, one of Alan's idols, is reading the blog, but he does seem to be in agreement with my latest post on the Palestinian elections. He also makes the point, which the news stories leave out, that the popularity of Hamas has as much to do with their humanitarian efforts as any resistance to Israel. Sure, the images on TV are always people rioting in the streets or cheering some suicide bomber, but the day-to-day living in the occupied territories is no cake walk and for many people the only source of food or medicine is Hamas. Again, if you've read this blog, you know I'm a big supporter of Israel and am not offering any support for Hamas's terrorist activities, but to Joe Palestinian going to the voting booth, the issues that matter most to you are going to be ones of competency and services. Everyone talks about the "surprise" of the election, but if you've ever talked to someone from the region about the role Hamas plays, it wasn't such a shock. They are a lot of unknowns at this point, but I think plenty of room for hope. From the Posner piece:

So democracy itself is not a panacea for the world's political ills and dangers. But if the Palestinians are able to develop a genuinely republican government and move rapidly toward embourgeoisement, there is some hope for the eventual emergence of a peaceful Palestinian state.