For the Arab/Muslim world, this moment demands not lamentation but strategic action. The West preached human rights, tolerance, and the rule of law only when those principles served Western interests. And the Arab/Muslim world must finally recognise that its interests will never be protected by appeals to universal values that are applied selectively. It is the embryonic structure of strategic autonomy for a significant portion of the Arab/Muslim world. For the Arab/Muslim world, this is not cause for despair – it is a call to action.