I was just reminded of a post I wrote two years ago right after Hamas' election victory, called Why Hamas Won, from a thread at Jihad Watch. It was a bit optimistic towards the immediate future but I believe that the reasons I gave still hold true. (Later that week I wrote a much more pessimistic scenario.)
As I looked at that old post I saw other posts I wrote that week that stand up quite well after two years. So, for those interested, here are some oldies, all from the week after Hamas won their election:
The cult of the "Peace Process" - why the "Peace Process" has nothing to do with peace
The Arafatization of Hamas - on a Hamas op-ed in Newsweek
The Democracy Pandora's Box - The prerequisite for democracy is freedom
The Arafatization of Hamas II - comparing Hamas Arabic statements with the PLO in 1974
Your crazy Uncle Ned - how the West treats nutty Islamists
The Arafatization of Hamas III - on a Hamas op-ed in the Washington Post
Poor Hamas schizophrenics - comparing "moderate" statements of Hamas to their charter
