[Ohioan]

Sharansky suffered under the iron fist of the Soviet regime and had the courage to dissent. What has Pat Buchanan ever done, other than be a professional gasbag?

The fact that a man suffers for his beliefs does not add anything to the logic of his position. It only attests to his courage.

Pat Buchanan has also suffered for his beliefs, and has gone from being one of the favorite spokesmen for Republican Conservatives to one isolated from many Republicans as a result of a vicious smear campaign against him in 1999. (See Fair Play For Pat Buchanan.)

Shransky's argument is platitudinous. Nowhere in the transcript does he even discuss the qualifications for suffrage in the future he envisions. The idea of turning much of the world over to an unknown class of decision makers--for that is the practical aspect of what he proposes--is looney-tunes. Can you imagine running a company by hiring people at random to take the major decision making positions? Of course not! This "Democracy" mantra is a form of cant that needs to be challenged, not genuflected before.

Democracy works in Switzerland, for the same reason that it works in a small New Hampshire town. It does not work in many Third World countries, where the same combination of factors are not present. In fact, it can result in some incredibly cruel results. (See Democracy In The Third World.)

William Flax

[My2Cents]

Pat Buchanan has also suffered for his beliefs, and has gone from being one of the favorite spokesmen for Republican Conservatives to one isolated from many Republicans

Please. Buchanan suffers from self-inflicted wounds.

[Tolik]

Democracy works in Switzerland, for the same reason that it works in a small New Hampshire town. It does not work in many Third World countries, where the same combination of factors are not present. In fact, it can result in some incredibly cruel results. (See Democracy In The Third World.)

I agree that the road to democracy is not a straight line. Nevertheless, here is the fact that a hundred of years ago there was a handful of democracies, and now there are many many more.

There was a strong, reality based argument for accommodating communism, because its here to stay and the West must coexist with it and at best deter it from advancing, but very very carefully, so not to disturb the beast. I know you are not making this argument, its just the best example of a similar argument that history proved was wrong. I don't expect the third world to turn into a new New Hampshire, but Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, all Muslim countries, have some strong democratic strains in them, and while being far from perfect, are still much better for their citizens and the world than many other alternatives.

Democracy works in Switzerland, for the same reason that it works in a small New Hampshire town. It does not work in many Third World countries, where the same combination of factors are not present. In fact, it can result in some incredibly cruel results. (See Democracy In The Third World.)

I agree that the road to democracy is not a straight line. Nevertheless, here is the fact that a hundred of years ago there was a handful of democracies, and now there are many many more.

There was a strong, reality based argument for accommodating communism, because its here to stay and the West must coexist with it and at best deter it from advancing, but very very carefully, so not to disturb the beast. I know you are not making this argument, its just the best example of a similar argument that history proved was wrong. I don't expect the third world to turn into a new New Hampshire, but Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, all Muslim countries, have some strong democratic strains in them, and while being far from perfect, are still much better for their citizens and the world than many other alternatives.

[TradicalRC]

Thank God there's one sane person on this forum who doesn't buy into the leftists' version of Pat Buchanan's beliefs. I can see the glorious future of conservatism now; in thirty years "conservatives" will praise Michael Moore's courageous assessment of the establishment republicans.

[ran15]

I agree with you btw the egalitarian utopia that democracy solves all problems is very questionable. I might say a democracy with a strong constitution and institutuions can do well, but that is more of a republic.

Want to know something scary.. since 1950 every nation that went from third world to first, was a right wing dictatorship.