a) acknowledgment that events in any given country, with due respect to
particular context, are part of the genuine dynamics of (irreversible)
sociopolitical change throughout the entire region;
b) recognition that these changes are driven by factors and forces internal to
a certain country and the region at least as much (and probably far more)
than by extra-regional influences;
c) general skepticism about conspiracy theories; and
d) understanding that there is a need to reach out and engage with all major
political forces in the region, including reformist Islamists in and out of
government