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THE RECENT elections in Iraq and Palestine and the democratic musings in Saudi Arabia have led to a paradoxical feeling of exhilaration and concern in Washington.

The mass demonstrations by Hezbollah and the continued vibrancy of radical Islamist groups such as Hamas have led many pundits and analysts to perceive that the rise of pluralism in the Middle East implies the ascendance of militant Islamist forces with their anti-American agenda and ideology of wrath.

America's hesitation notwithstanding, a democratic Middle East must include all voices, including the Islamists.

A careful look reveals not only that Islamist movements are beginning to moderate their views but that the radical remnants increasingly have a limited standing in the region. In the end, the best way to extinguish ideological radicalism is with a persistent dose of democracy.

As with most ideological tendencies, the complexion of Islamism is changing as more temperate forces assume leadership of this movement. In states as varied as Turkey, Morocco and Bahrain, moderates are coming to the forefront, calling for participation in the political process as opposed to waging violent campaigns against the state.

When allowed to run for office, as they have been in Jordan, the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists have accepted the rules of the game and participated constructively in the process.

To be sure, given the retaliatory power of the state and the inability of Islamists to dislodge the regimes through violence in the early 1990s, such reconsideration may seem a tactical concession to an altered balance of power. Nonetheless, the inclination of many Islamists to reconsider their ideological strategies should not be discounted.

Many radical groups find that once they are part of the governing order, the imperative of getting re-elected leads many to actually abandon their disruptive and costly utopian schemes in search of more-practical solutions. This is certainly what happened to the leftist forces in Latin America and may happen in the Arab world. It is time to test the premise of "moderate Islam" and not continuously evoke anti-terrorism campaigns as a justification for limiting the political process to only reliable secularists and liberals.

The success of the moderate Islamists has diminished the power of the radicals. Given the militants' inability to craft viable solutions to problems such as economic inequality and the lack of political representation, they are proving a poor alternative to either the state or their more tempered brethren.

The best way to further diminish the influence of the likes of Hamas and Hezbollah is to continuously expand the marketplace of ideas and enhance competitive politics. Radical Islamism has succeeded only because it has managed to survive in an authoritarian landscape and thus assumes the mantle of opposition.

The reality remains that over the past three decades, the Arab populace has gradually grown weary of radical ideologies and their self-proclaimed verities. From pan-Arabism and its promise of Arab renaissance to radical Islam and its quest for salvation, a beleaguered populace has come to appreciate that the primary effect of such ideologies is repression and stagnation. After much experimentation, the Arab masses may finally be ready for democracy and all its burdens and rewards.

The Bush administration's policy of transformation of the Middle East correctly appreciates that the best manner of ensuring stability is to implant democratic regimes in the region. But despite the administration's inclination to countenance Shiite ascendancy in Iraq, it is unwilling to engage the Islamists and press for their inclusion in the region as a whole.

For example, in the pivotal state of Egypt, Washington readily accepts President Hosni Mubarak's exclusion of the Muslim Brotherhood despite its renunciation of violence. It is such selectivity that undermines America's declared goal of democratic empowerment.

It is time for President Bush to supplement his democracy promotion strategy by insisting on a new regional compact. If a political party is prone to renounce violence and is unequivocally willing to accept ballots as the basis of power, it should be allowed to participate in elections.

If radical parties such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad reject this offer, then they stand isolated and outside the prevailing political process, deprived of their popularity and prestige. Should they participate, their demise is inevitable. The reality remains the answer to terrorism and tyranny: democracy.

Ray Takeyh is a senior fellow in Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington