First, wrap up the global war on terror. The Arab capacity for self-transformation, on such evident display, has rendered it irrelevant. That means completing the drawdown of forces in Iraq and commencing the withdrawal from Afghanistan. A lower American military profile throughout the Islamic world will bring only positive results.

Second, express consistent support for the Arab citizens taking to the streets, whether they’re secular or religious in nature. And to that end, accept expressions of popular will regardless of whether the outcome fully comports with U.S. preferences. Washington’s hypocritical dismissal of Hamas’s winning elections in the West Bank and Gaza cost it credibility. The applicable principle is this: without exception, governments chosen by the people should qualify as legitimate.

Next, where democracy does produce results that comport with U.S. preferences, offer generous development assistance. After all, there will be money for it with cash saved from shutting down two unnecessary wars. As a point of emphasis, development programs should underwrite educational opportunities for young people; military aid should be a secondary and tertiary concern, when it’s considered at all. Education is one arena in which the United States can make a meaningful contribution to nation-building, training the cadre of engineers, scientists, teachers, and medical professionals who will spur real development, the lasting kind that takes years and decades to bear fruit.