Posted on 02/28/2011 6:43:53 PM PST by jazusamo
Those who see hope in the Middle East uprisings seem to assume that they will lead in the direction of freedom or democracy. There is already talk about the "liberation" of Egypt, even though the biggest change there has been that a one-man dictatorship has been replaced by a military dictatorship that has suspended the constitution.
Perhaps the military dictatorship will be temporary, as its leaders say, but we have heard that song before. What we have also heard, too many times before, is the assumption that getting rid of an undemocratic government means that it will be replaced by a freer and better government.
History says otherwise. After Russia's czars were replaced by the Communists, the government executed more people in a day than the czars had executed in half a century. It was much the same story in Cuba, when the Batista regime was replaced by Castro and in Iran when the Shah was replaced by the Ayatollahs.
It is not inevitable that bad regimes are replaced by worse regimes. But it has happened too often for us to blithely assume that overthrowing a dictator means a movement toward freedom and democracy.
The fact that Egyptians or others in the Middle East and elsewhere want freedom does not mean that they are ready for freedom. Everyone wants freedom for himself. Even the Nazis wanted to be free to be Nazis. They just didn't want anybody else to be free.
There is very little sign of tolerance in the Middle East, even among fellow Muslims with different political or religious views, and all too many signs of gross intolerance toward people who are not Muslims.
Freedom and democracy cannot be simply conferred on anyone. Both have preconditions, and even nations that are free and democratic today took centuries to...
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
Right On!
I am sorry for a few of my Arab colleagues and their families.
Is The Mideast Susceptible To Democracy?
The scripture I read says, “No.”....
From a expert....
“And thirdly and more importantly,” Choudary said, “the Muslims don’t want democracy and freedom. Democracy and freedom are anathema to Islam and the Shariah.”
Dr. Sowell direct, and to the point. He’s so right on the mark. Thanks for the ping jaz. Appreciate it.
I’ve no doubt you’re correct.
Democracy, freedom don’t exist in most of these people.
Have a number of (same-family) Iraqis working that, while technically doing their job, spend their whole talking time
tearing down the operation, bitching, complaining and turning other employees in playing the game.
Not a stich of chivalry or generosity of spirit in their bones: and these are top-notch people we let in acting like this.
God bless, Dr.Sowell.
After Dr. Sowell speaks (or writes), what’s left to say? If I am ever asked the question of who, of all the famous people in the world, would you choose to have lunch with, it’d have to be Dr. Sowell. He wouldn’t have to worry about being interrupted, either ;)
Those unwilling to take extreme measures to defend freedom will lose it, and deservedly so.
A few years ago, Don Richardson who wrote 'Secrets of the Koran' visited our church and I had a chance to speak with him at some length after a seminar he did. At one point I said to him "So essentially what you are saying is that democracy is incompatible with Islam, right?" "Bingo" was Mr Richardson's response. By the way, I highly encourage all here to read this book... tremendously enlightening.
Any democracy to comes out of this orchestrated multi-national revolts will look exactly like Iran.
Is the world ready for the chaos that will wreak havoc on the national security and economies of our allies and The United States?
The part no one is preparing for is as this cancer is spread by The Muslim Brotherhood and Al Qaeda is Pakistan.
Pakistan is a nuclear state and what reward will the world reap by allowing crazies to gain control of the nuclear arsenal of Pakistan?
We are already fighting off Al Qaeda within the ranks of the Pakistan military. The problem will and threat will continue to grow if we don’t put a stop this now.
“Whatever it is that the government does, sensible Americans would prefer that the government does it to somebody else. This is the idea behind foreign policy.” - P. J. O’Rourke
Sowell for president.
Obama for janitor.
I’ll vote early and often for both! :)
No: “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” Genesis.
If they convert to Christianity and educate themselves on republicanism, private property rights, free market capitalism, Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, Jefferson, Madison, the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights, then they might have a fighting chance...
In a word, NO!
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