Western economic and political habits are not simply waiting to be unleashed by a few simple legal reforms. The real barrier to modernity in the non-Western world lies in the pervasive and recalcitrant structures of everyday life -- structures few Westerners understand.

From a very fascinating article in Policy Review. I personally get the willies when I hear people talk about America setting up a "liberal empire" - although I think part of it is gleeful Left-baiting by conservatives - but there are points in this article well worth thinking about. However, I think we need to be very clear that what we are after here is security and democratization, and not empire in Iraq.