taliban winning in afghanistan, page-34

harvey, i am glad to see that you make the distinction between the different Muslim societies, few people bother or even consider it from that perspective.
I believe that it is the nature of the people and the nature of their circmstances that determines how they interpret and apply their religion. Indonesians practice a moderate and very flexible form because they are not a warrior type of people, instead very hospitable and accomodating and their religion has been adapted to suit their needs.
The effect of global communications as you mention is one of the most important means of changing opinions, that and prosperity. I am a great believer in engaging people through positive means such as trade and education. irrespective of how vile or oppressive a regime may be, there will be people within it whose views may be more in line with your own than that of their compatriots. If you engage the regime in conflict, the opportunity for such people to open up lines of communication are lost, as well they may be themselves.
I think that Indonesia is a very good example of what can happen. In Sukarnos time, as it drifted closer and closer to the communist nations, the US principly, and Australia tried to undermine Sukarno, creating unrest and initiating armed rebellions. Sukarno knew who was trying to topple him which led him to increasingly looking to those nations that we opposed for more and more assistance.
In the end he was toppled in a coup with massive bloodletting, the actual numbers still being debated today.
This coup, and many subsequent episodes ending up with his successor Suharto gaining a reputation as a ruthless leader. But there was a lot more to his leadership than an authortarian rule. He knew from day one that for him to hold the country, he had to bring prosperity to the people, and to do that he had to provide opportunities and support for competent people to establish commercial and industrial enterprises. He did this by surrounding himself with competent and experienced people, unfortunately we see this as cronyism.
He also knew that better education, health and communications, which had been neglected under Sukarno, needed to be improved in order for the nation and the people to prosper, and this he did. Many people will dismiss such efforts as not having achieved anything, that is because they are using their own circumstances as a benchmark, but when measured against what had been, the advances are remarkable. That why there is such reluctance to take Suharto to court, apart from not being a vindictive people, the ordinary person knows how much better their lives are because of his leadership.
That was a bit longwinded, it is a subject I am passionate about, but I feel that it is a perfect example of what can be done by engaging an entire nation in a positive manner rather than by trying to force them to submit by force.
I can see those disagreeing pulling out all the exceptions to make their points, but it is not the exceptions that should used as a foundation on which opinions are formed.
Unfortunately, the only thing too many people know about are those exceptions.