Daniel Pipes finds reason for

Daniel Pipes finds reason for optimism in the fact that, for the first time in human history, the triumvirate of peace, democracy and free markets are recognized almost world-wide and stand without serious competition in the world of ideas. The chief exception–and, as Pipes acknowledges, a very serious one–is the Muslim world. But compared to the intellectual climate of even thirty years ago, it is hard to avoid agreeing with Pipes’s assessment that the current international near-consensus represents a huge step forward.