Politicking

I was very impressed by a flashmedia article which I think can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/world/index.html
'Palestine Lost' (I assume playing off of Paradise Lost). Maybe we are actually seeing the beginning of reform from within. For the first time in a while I hear things like: "We (the Palestinians) have paid too high a price. It was not worth it." All along people have been saying that statements like that are needed by Mr. Joe Chumus in order to propel peace (or a lack of War).
On the front of development in Gaza I have been thinking about political regimes and what the best type of leadership/structure of government. Is there a legitamate alternative to democracy? I read somewhere, that democracy is more than being able to vote in an election between two canidates you don't like. You need civil liberties, freedoms (press, speech, etc) equal rights for all and all that goodness. I would consider forging a government which is autocratic, but provides all these liberties.
How then is change affected? Well it seems to me that Hobbes talks about a regime much like this, where it is autocratic in nature, but still representative of the people. (Sans the whole not being able to get rid of your leader peacefully- a must in these regions). It seems now that there is this funny tug-of-war which is affecting change, but through his notion of *ijma* or conensus (Rousseau anyone?). People bang their drums and Arafat - who they still respect as their leader - reacts. He is pulled by them and they by him. I could see a government where Arafat is the head and Dahlan is the representative to Israel and it sort of works like it does in America, ie the administrative branch have a veto, except here the veto is not subject to a 2/3 majority.
This is more rambling for me than anyone else I guess. Sorry.