In the 1950s, ultra-conservatives torpedoed their critics by calling them Communist. Today the same tactic is used against Muslim organizations by calling them apologists for terrorism. And like the 1950s, the intent of the ultra-conservatives today is to distract the public from their own undemocratic maledictions. As the French say, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

So, back to the classifications and alliance building game it is. Now, though, the war cry is not the Iraqi, but the Iranian threat. Four years ago, as they prepared for the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the Americans and their allies across the Atlantic filled the air with talk of Shia persecution by Sunni and the need for their deliverance from the wicked Sunni Ba’ath regime.

As the Iranian nuclear project climbed to the top of the Bush administration’s agenda, a new set of terms and concepts had to be manufactured. Out went slogans of democratization, reform and good governance, and in came the fearful "Shia Crescent" blooming from the shores of the Mediterranean to the poppy fields of Afghanistan, only to be confronted by the benevolent forces of Sunni moderation. With it came Condoleezza Rice and her diplomatic envoys, this time gracing the Middle East with her visits to ensure good co-operation with "moderate states" and their secret services.