1. What is the main idea of Thomas Sowell’s commentary?

2.  For each of the following statements made by Thomas Sowell, write agree or disagree and explain your answers.

1. Those who applauded the spread of democracy in the Middle East seemed to assume that the "Arab Spring" meant greater freedom. But there was no reason to assume that beforehand -- and certainly no reason to believe it after the fact. Christians in Egypt have already lost whatever security they had under Hosni Mubarak. (para. 5)
2. The idea that "all people want freedom" is one of those feel-good phrases that some people indulge in. But you do not get a free country just because everybody wants freedom -- for themselves. You can have a free country only when people are willing to let other people have freedom. (para. 6)
3. Nazis were free to be Nazis under Hitler and Communists were free to be Communists under Stalin and Mao. But nobody else was free. (para. 7)
4. Toleration for others is a precondition for a free society -- and it is hard to think of more intolerant societies than most of those in the Middle East. (para. 8)
5. Democracy in the Middle East context means majority selection of which individuals get the power to oppress. Why would anyone have seriously believed that it would mean anything more than that? Certainly not from the history of the region. (para. 9)
6. ...the purpose of an election is not to make people feel good about participating. Its purpose is to select the best leaders available, to whom the well-being, and ultimately the lives, of the people can be entrusted. (para. 10)
7. “Arab Spring” democracy has certainly not increased women’s freedom, nor was there ever any reason to expect that it would. (para. 14)