GEE, YOU DON'T SAY?

Now, it can't possibly be that the invasion of Iraq would be having positive results in the region, would it? That the so-called "reverse domino" might be in evidence? Well, on the one hand, this front page article sure makes it sound as if there are positive effects, as people begin to push against the regime in ways they never would have tried before Saddam fell. "The myth of having to live under despots for eternity collapsed," one film maker explained.

But that must be all it is, as powerful as that is, you see:

When the Bush administration toppled the Baghdad government, it announced that it wanted to establish a democratic, free-market Iraq that would prove a contagious model for the region. The bloodshed there makes that a distant prospect, yet the very act of humiliating the worst Arab tyrant spawned a sort of "what if" process in Syria and across the region.

Until you get to the jump.

Last month the government eliminated emergency economic courts, often used to jail opposition businessmen, he pointed out. It has allowed four private universities to open, and two private banks started accepting deposits in January, although they cannot deal in foreign exchange. . .

Even the president's many supporters concede that change here comes at a glacial pace. Article 8 of the Constitution enshrines the central role of the Baath Party, but many see the government as fishing for ways to jettison that provision without seeming to respond to American pressure.

There's no question this is still a police state. But this is at least a sign of real change. And the fact that the government is afraid it will look as if it is responding to American pressure is fascinating -- and telling.