I can understand where the author is coming from, and it's sad that more people here don't seem to get it. There are few things that evoke people's primal instincts, the way foreign invasions do. Especially one involving a foreign occupier belonging to a completely different ethnicity, language and culture. We're literally talking about a Millenia long history where warring empires in both the Christian west and Islamic east would set aside their differences and launch crusades against one another. I'm sure many in the Arab world have no problems with engaging with America diplomatically, or economically. I'm sure activists like Ahmed welcome American efforts to facilitate and amplify the efforts of local activists. But they would react to a western invasion of Iraq the same way we would react to a Chinese invasion of America. With tribal defensiveness.