[A. Pole]

Bump

[Darkwolf377]

James Bovard

I think you misspelled his last name: "Blowhard" is correct.

[EagleUSA]

Many Americans are being lulled into assuming that democracy is inevitable.
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The very thought is baseless and wrong. Democracy, due to the nature of man, is fought for and won, as history proves. There will always be fights between those that want power and control and those that want freedom. Such was our revolution in America, for example. We were fortunate -- we won. Many others have not been so fortunate. There is nothing "automatic" about freedom. It must be fought for, won, and paid for to keep it alive. History is a great indicator of the constant struggle between oppression and freedom.

Only those willing to fight for freedom, and pay the high price of freedom, will have and keep it.

[BenLurkin]

The President is either naive or overly optimistic.

Many societies -- perhaps most societies -- are incapable of democracy except in its most crude iterations.

Our representative democracy, our republic, was the creation of a special nation of enlightened individualists. Our founders reviewed the entire known history of governance (for they were indeed better educated in such things than any of our current academicians or political leaders) and crafted the highest form of self-governance for our people.

It was only possible to establish our republic due to the particular preparedness of the body politic. Americans of the day were the highest culmination of Greco-Roman, Judaeo-Christian, Anglo-American civilization. That acme of civilization has actually seen a degradation in the intervening years -- particularly in the last 50-75 years. And so we ourselves struggle with an electorate which is increasingly ignorant both acadmeically and culturally. It should be of no surpise that those backwards societies oeverseas are incaapble of understaniding and embracing the knids of sophisticated republican ideals that were once the hallmark of the American genius.

[VoodooEconomics]

I see....democracy is seen as inevitable - and worse - linked to the likes of Hegel!!! Omigod, Omigod ... Inevitability and Hegel will insure that history never changes and that a collective we (as on planet earth) can never improve our lot - democracy is the new tower of babel. Give up now! Tyranny is the only inevitable thing left for the world - It is a waste of time and effort to fight for freedom - lay down your arms and give up!!! What a genius!

[txrangerette]

I couldn't get past the opening salvo that Bush claims Democracy is inevitable. Far as I'm concerned, if this writer has anything worthy to say I'll miss it, 'cause I ain't readin' any more.

I have heard Bush indicate entirely the OPPOSITE.

That it will be very, very difficult to expand Democracy to those with no history of it, but that it is the right thing and the best policy. Bush often cites the US vs. Japan in WWII as an example of the difference Democracy made in our relations with that country. Knowing full well his own father was shot down by them BEFORE the change to Democracy was brought to Japan on the heels of their SURRENDER. He also cites Reagan winning the Cold War as prelude to Democracy taking hold in Eastern Europe.

Finally, he says we've got a long, hard road ahead in the WAR against Islamofascism and FOR DEMOCRACY.

This idiot must be confused because Bush said people naturally yearn to live free because they are made that way by the Almighty.

Like that's the same as saying it's inevitable.

DUH!

What a waste of space.

[philman_36]

Many Americans are being lulled into assuming that democracy is inevitable.
Gotta love it. Thanks for the point.

The painfully obvious question...If we're already a democracy, as so many claim, then why would a future, yet still inevitable, occurance of establishing a democracy in America need to take place?

Since those "many" Americans (having ignored government class in school and hearing it being used in popular usage) probably think that America is already a democracy, instead of the republican form of government that it is, what is there to be lulled into?
It seems to me that they're already way beyond being lulled.
They're already tranquilized! Damn near catatonic.

[B-Chan]

Excellent post. Democracy, like communism, is a "god that failed". One need look only at 1936 Spain (or Russia today) to see what happens to all democracies sooner or later. Heute Rußland, morgen die Welt.

[RobbyS]

Is Bush saying that democracy is inevitable or that it is preferable to authoritarian government? It is certainly a better way of accomodating different interests than despotism.

[Old_Mil]

Democracy is human government balanced on the head of a pin. It demands the best of a nation's citiens intellect, character, and work ethic and only then can it survive and thrive.

[x]

Does anyone really believe that the rise of democracy is of necessity permanent and irreversible? If Fukuyama does, then he's naive. Democracy, like anything else, could disappear if people don't make efforts to make it work. Does anyone seriously doubt that?

When people talk about "the march of democracy" or democracy as a "destiny," they're thinking of it as the fulfillment or flourishing of something important in the human spirit. But that flowering doesn't have to happen. Circumstances could cut the process short.

We can argue about that -- about whether democracy really does correspond to human nature or whether it really is the highest or best form of government. To do so, we'd have to try to get at what "democracy" really means and what the alternatives are, and whether democracy is really even possible. But Bovard's argument about whether or not democracy is logically necessary or whether its victory is predetermined and inevitable looks to be beside the point.

[Paul Ross]

Ping.

Francis who?

[Paul Ross]

The more that democracy is assumed to be inevitable, the more likely democracy will self-destruct. Faith in inevitability deadens the sense of peril — and people blithely acquiesce to one power seizure after another by the ruling class.

Compelling conclusion.