Interesting thought. And, if you are to be consistent then you must favor China's elimination of the theocracy of the Dali Lama in Tibet. Tiensen Giatsu would take issue with you, but China is attempting to play out the thesis you advance in secularizing Tibet and bringing it into their political mainstream.

I would think this subject is one that will only gain clarity with the tincture of time. History will determine if religion advancing to the religious society and state is a positive or negative force. Muhammed is the founder of a concept that strongly advocates a religious state. That really has never happened because existing tribal structures and rivalry has blocked it, but the future may be leaning that way precisely because of our invading Iraq.

Iraq was a very secular state. It was governed by a dictator that held the state together by his monopoly on force. Now that country faces a civil conflict between Shia and Sunni. The Kurds seem to be secure and out of the fray in their own area and pose only a threat to Turkey if they should seek religious unification with Turkish Kurds. The majority Shiia will prevail eventually and then the world risks a possible unity with the Persian Shiia and the disolution of existing boundaries as a newly theocratic state is formed. This might be good for the cartographers of the world, but will require adjustment by the rest of us.

Keep in mind there once was a country call Yugoslavia which was fairly hamoniously held together by dictator Tito. We all watched the brutal division of that nation state into religious parceling. Russia is facing the same sort of problems and thus chose a dictatorial Putin to hold together their state to prevent a fracture of mother Russia.

I only thumbnail all of this to point out :the problem with Israel is not really a problem with Israel but rather a problem in developing a unifying leadership principle outside of religion world wide.

Publius