Posted on 04/01/2013 2:14:32 PM PDT by jazusamo
The Obama administration treated the creation of "democracy" in the Middle East as a Good Thing. Ironically, those who created the United States of America viewed democracy with fear— and created a Constitutional republic instead.
Everything depends on how you define democracy. In its most basic sense, democracy means majority rule. But there can be majority rule in a free country or in a country with an authoritarian or even a dictatorial government.
In this age of sloppy uses of words, many people include freedom in their conception of democracy. But whether democracy leads to freedom is an open question, not a foregone conclusion.
In the United States, when the Union army of occupation withdrew from the South, years after the Civil War, majority rule returned to the Southern states— and the freedom of blacks was drastically restricted from what it had been under military rule.
Those who applauded the spread of democracy in the Middle East seemed to assume that the "Arab Spring" meant greater freedom. But there was no reason to assume that beforehand— and certainly no reason to believe it after the fact. Christians in Egypt have already lost whatever security they had under Hosni Mubarak.
The idea that "all people want freedom" is one of those feel-good phrases that some people indulge in. But you do not get a free country just because everybody wants freedom— for themselves. You can have a free country only when people are willing to let other people have freedom.
(Excerpt) Read more at creators.com ...
The problem with a number of the mideast Islamic countries is not that there aren’t true believers in western-style democracies. It’s just that they’re far too few in numbers to thwart the ignorant semi-savages who are more than willing to be governed by slightly smarter savages who oppress everybody who is not like them. About thirty to forty percent of adult Egyptians want western-style freedoms. Sixty to seventy percent are quite content to live like they did 1300 years ago.
Is that so hard to understand.....
I am coming to have the opinion that to call Obama ignorant is missing the point. Evil is more appropriate.
Amen to that!
“Arab Spring” democracy has certainly not increased women’s freedom, nor was there ever any reason to expect that it would.
Why then was Barack Obama so hyped over his “achievement” in having helped put new rulers into power in the Middle East? First of all, this is a man with a monumental ego, to whom every avenue to self-aggrandizement is welcomed, whether it is ObamaCare or realigning the Middle East.
Either or both may end in utter disaster for others, but that is hardly a deterrent to Obama. What some see as a failure of his Middle East policy is a success in carrying out his vision of a historic realignment. The lives that are lost and the increased dangers of international turmoil are to him just “bumps in the road” on the path to his place in history.
You're absolutely right.
Obama gives not a whit about the well being of anyone but himself.
The democracy always works assumption assumes linearity—that which can be voted can be unvoted. In the Middle East, it’s “one man, one vote, one time.” However it works out (and it will probably Carter-approved if he monitors the election), it is set in dictatorial stone thereafter.
I couldn’t agree more. The money quote, indeed.
Thank you for the ping, Jaz.
“First of all, this is a man with a monumental ego,”
I hate to correct a man who bats a grand but “Walks like a duck” is no man. He’s...no...its a filthy koranimal.
Now, lets clear the benches and finish this!
Where in the history of Islam has liberty ever flourished? It’s been one long slog of faction against faction similar to what you see in a theives guilds or mafias.
Islam is in direct opposition to republican liberty. America is the Great Satain, not because we give arms to Israel, but because we support an idea that’s antithetical to Islam.
What a foolish, infidel question!!
It has flourished in... hmm... wait, not that.. aha! it flourished in.... no, not that time either (*what about under the profit? - no, he slaughtered the Meccans and Medina folks) -- ok, it WILL flourish when Islam rules over all, no wait, not even then... DIE! IMPERIALIST INFIDEL DAWG!!!
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Islam had their Golden Age between about 900 and 1200 A.D. when they were more advanced than the West in many ways; paved streets while Paris was covered in mud. But a reaction set in and they’ve been in a funk ever since.
Wow! Does that ever cut to the quick?
Can anyone argue with Dr. Sowell's spot on logic here?
Actually, that so called Islam golden age was merely a period of living off the fruits of the empires which they conquered, notably the Persians.
At the very least they were good librarians. :)
REALITY CHECK # ONE Countless US assets---our embassies, ships and military bases are bombed----our military and diplo-personnel savaged, killed, maimed and tortured by fanatics in Mideast hellholes---and invariably the US gets the blame: "We weren't stern enough, we weren't strong enough"---and my personal favorite----"we didn't give them enough money," etc etc etc.
REALITY CHECK # TWO: Let us count the ways America has been duped: (1) Obama and his crew have done more to undermine US ntl security ---and he did it with our tax dollars. he stupidly gave Islamic Pakistan billions----the country openly harboring Bin Laden in their midst.
(2) Islamic TURKEY received $21 billion economic/military US foreign aid (orchestrated by a Fla Congressman forced out of office for lying).
The Fla Congressman (who lived in Maryland) inveigled the US to launch a "cooperative effort to further Turkish economic and military self-reliance," so the US stupidly loaned and granted Turkey more than $7 billion in economic aid and more than $14 billion in military assistance. So much for "peace and cooperation."
Turkey is now acquiring nuclear weapons and the ex-Fla Congressman is now running a.n.o.t.h.e.r Mideast (cough) "Peace" group sucking up US tax dollars.
(3) Neocons duped the US into pouring trillions into Islamic Afghanistan.....the most corrupt spot on the globe. The Bank of Kabul is engaged in massive fraud---the bank gets billions of US tax dollars deposited to run the war. BUT---if you are "a connected" Afghani you can withdraw billions with no silly responsibility to pay it back. Afghan Pres Karzhai was seen loading billions of US dollars to transport out of the country.
SUMMATION US citizens are being extorted at the pump as the US leaves Iraq (having spent trillions, leaving rivers of young blood)...China got the oil. Yet, the conniving neocons are starting their own oil company in Iraq. The cost is immense----facilitated by n/c Richard Perle's war profiteering. Your tax dollars at work.
A constitutional republic is a quite advanced concept. Exporting it to those with a limited education (I did not say intellect.) is a losing proposition. A foundation needs to be built first. I suggest we export the Magna Carta first. No, I am not being sarcastic. Start with a basic understanding of God given rights and build from there.
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