Marlowe's Shade

The other day I was having a political discussion with a co-worker. We were taking about whether Bush had an exit strategy for Iraq and he finally stated that he didn't think that democracy would work in that country and asked me point blank if I agreed or not.
The truth is that in all likelihood, it may not work. But after giving it a lot of thought, I've come to the conclusion that whether we are successful in introducing democracy or not, it is absolutely critical that we try. Because we have reached a point where if we need to say at the very least the Iraqi could have choosen democracy, or we can't proceed with a clear conscience.
The problem with democracy is that as John Adams said about our Constitution, it was made for a moral and religious people. The tension in our form of government is in trying to preserve and encourage the moral soundness of the nation while not demanding or legislating it. Our Founders were a product of a revolution in consciousness epitomized by the Puritans and Pilgrims where the Christian ethics had been internalized, and a Christian concept of liberty upheld morality without imposing it and honored free will without dishonoring God's will.
As a Christian, I believe the best solution for the Iraqi people is the Gospel. Mass conversions of Muslims may seem far fetched, but considering the plight of women in Islam, it might be wise not to underestimate the message of deliverance that Christianity holds for half of the population. I would neither discount the witness of the committed Christians among our troops in Iraq. And yet the minimum requirement for democracy to succeed is a secular society that still recognizes an absolute ethical system. The French tried to introduce a relativistic secularism to Islam, and won few converts and evoked a deep reactionary response. But to be clear, that response wasn't due so much to what the West did, but who they are.
And potentially there is a third alternative. I wouldn't rule out a radical reform of Islam. For it to be meaningful it would have to involve a developed sense of conscience, which is a sign of an internalized value system. It would signify a wholesale rejection of shame/honor values, tribalism, and many of the other aspects of current Islamic culture. It is of course possible. But looking at the Koran, the Hadiths, etc, there seems so little to build upon. But even in my most cynical moments, I would never underestimate the human spirit.
If I had to bet the house it wouldn't be on the imminent success of democracy in Iraq. But the alternative is as terrible as it is unavoidable.