The global picture thus suggests that 2005 was one of the most successful years for freedom since Freedom House began measuring world freedom in 1972…. The Freedom in the World 2006 ratings for the Middle East represent the region’s best performance in the history of the survey…. Since the events of 9/11, the United States has made the promotion of democracy — in the Middle East primarily but in other regions as well — a greater priority among the broad mix of foreign policy goals…. the administration of George W. Bush, building on policies initiated by his predecessors, has pushed forward an agenda in which the advancement of freedom plays a tangible role…. While the precise impact of democracy promotion policies is often difficult to measure, it is by now clear that the efforts by the established democracies to expand freedom’s reach are paying dividends. Democracy promotion has always had its critics, and the critics’ objections, as might be expected, have been amplified during a controversial war. But if the gains for freedom revealed in this survey tell us anything, it is that the policies of the United States, Europe, and other free societies are achieving some crucial goals. These efforts should be strengthened, not diminished.