Victor Davis Hanson: Why Democracy? Ten reasons to support democracy in the Middle East

NRO ^ | 2/11/2005 | Victor Davis Hanson

[Tolik]

    Victor Davis Hanson Ping ! 

       Let me know if you want in or out

[Noachian]

Democracy was not our first, but rather out last choice in the Middle East.

So, if Democracy is our "last choice" and it doesn't work what then?

[StoneGiant]

So, if Democracy is our "last choice" and it doesn't work what then?



Here's one option...

[Valin]

And that's why we must do all we can to make/help it to work. The world has become way too small interconnected place to allow a black hole of hatered to exist.

[Valin]

Paleoconservatives prefer to spend our treasure here at home

The Paleocons are stuck in 1805 (or what they imagine 1805 to be).

[Tolik]

I heard an announcement for Tim Russert to have Sharansky - Buchanan debate on Sunday. Can Sharansky speak as well as he writes? Buchanan is a strong debater. Should be interesting.

[iconoclast]

I heard an announcement for Tim Russert to have Sharansky - Buchanan debate on Sunday.

I'll have to hustle home from church!

[q_an_a]

I read this on the site - and it made me want to post some kind of High Five comment. Thank you for putting it up. VDH has a way of helping see many loose ends as whole cloth.

[Valin]

WOW!
This should be good. Is it on Meet the (de)Press?

I listened to him give a talk at AEI last nov. he's a little hard to understand (that may of been streaming problems).
It's my opinion that he can more than hold his own against Buchanan.

Link to AEI
The Case for Democracy

The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror
http://www.aei.org/events/eventID.943/event_detail.asp#

[bboop]

Great minds think alike! That was exactly my thot.

[GOPJ]

BINGO:

The Arab world so far has missed the bus of history. The success of democratic reform in parts of Africa, Latin America, and Asia is a daily reminder of the decades lost in the Middle East, and how endemic Arab envy, jealousy, and excuses — which so repel or bore the world — can be ameliorated only by a new maturity and responsibility that are the wages of democratic government.

[monday]

Certainly democracy would be best for Iraq. The problem is Iraqi's don't want democracy. Sure they want to vote, but they want to vote for an Islamic theocracy with their particular mullahs or clerics in charge.

It will be no different than Iran, and indeed, if people all over the middle east people were allowed to vote they would immediately vote in an Islamic theocracy as well.

Ironically, it is only the people of Iran, who have actually endured an Islamic theocracy for the last 25 years and who know just how bad it is living under one, that are probably ready for democracy.

The rest of the middle east may have to undergo a similar experience before they too have gained the wisdom to actually know what is best for them, and vote for a government that is truly democratic.

[monday]

"So, if Democracy is our "last choice" and it doesn't work what then?"

Islamic theocracy. It's inevitable. Their culture is based on Islamic tribal traditions. There is no concept of individual freedom or independence. Not only are they not ready for freedom and democracy, they don't even know what it is, really.

[ken21]

"The Left sees it as selfish individualism at the expense of equality of result ...."

the left's been pushing this for decades. it would eventually cripple our society and government if allowed to fester.

for example, in california in the 70's democrats in public education promoted minorities into teaching positions that could not pass college tests.

these teachers passed on their incompetence to their students.

[iconoclast]

Paleoconservatives prefer to spend our treasure here at home,

PaleoConservatives know that our treasure resides in our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, our history and our traditions.

Of course it is not difficult to understand/excuse Mr. Hanson's underlying inspiration for his silly statement. You see he is not a conservative of any stripe.

This johnny-come-lately, hallowed FR prophet is a neolib college professor and lifelong Democrat. Quite naturally, "spending" would be a basic to his political thought processes along with the inclination to perceive our treasure in purely materialistic terms. He and his cohorts are giving us Guns AND Butter spending, the likes of which have not been seen in a generation or two.

Tragically, bread and circuses on the home-front and jingoistic warring in foreign affairs may very well be a recipe for their political success for a good while to come.

[FreedomPoster]

And the Japanese did, in 1945?

[iconoclast]

our politicians and pundits constantly try to fine-tune democracy, to tinker with voting, redistribute wealth, turn to legislative plebiscites, gerrymander, and use the courts to trump popular sovereignty.

Wow. For the life of me I cannot fathom why conservatives can't seem to see through this new-faced threat to our Republic. The quote is pure Leocon Newspeak! American conservatives are pure (small r) republicans. Mr. Hanson's popular sovereignty, for example, would have recently yielded Mr. Gore as our 43rd Pres.

Mr. Hanson's mask frequently slips ... and you just have to look closely to see him.

[x]

This pretty much goes against everything you would have read in William F. Buckley's National Review of the 1950s and 1960s. The conservatives of those days would have found Hanson naive in the extreme. They could very well have been wrong, but it's not always easy to trade in the beliefs and lessons and habits of a lifetime for the latest fashion. Those who were right in questioning the theories of W.W. Rostow and other "deep thinkers" of the 1960s aren't going to be convinced by Hanson.

[M 91 u2 K]

The theory that democracies dont fight each other is FASLE!

First off India and Pakistan (Pakistan until 1999 was a democracy and recently held elections, though it is not anywhere near close an ideal democracy it is the type of open government we are trying to create around the world now) hate each other and had several wars!

Israel and Palestine ( Same thing as Pakistan in terms of idealism) the Palestinians voted for Hamas overwhelmingly

Hanson ignores cultural, social and most importantly Religious differences that creat conflicts to begin with.

Next off Democracy isnt permanent. Democracy is not new (Though it has never been this widespread and open) and has faded before. People in a Democratic country must have an intrinsic value for democracy because the believed benefits of Democracy such as economic prosperity and stability are not certain. All countries experience economic depressions and civil unrest and that is when the people are tested as to whether or not they want to face the harsh realities of independence. (Weimer Germany) Some people would rather have Big Brother government take care of them!

Most of all Democracy is a European institute! We dont have a Democracy here in the US. WE have a REPUBLIC! If we had a true democracy their would be no electoral college or Senate! Democracy as James Madison put it can lead to tyranny of the majority! So all the Neo-Cons tend to bend history and misinterpets things for their own convienence!