Trying to bring democratic and representative reform to these nations is not a mistake. President Bush has also done alot to go after and kill thse who believe in the ideology of terrorism and dictatorship.
Both approaches must be going on simultaineously to win this war. At times this approach will work and at times it will also fail but it still must be done.
This approach has also emboldened Mohammedans to attack and destroy Eastern Christian communities from the Balkans to the Iran/Iraq border.
If we are to win the war against a resurgent Islam, we need to be clear eyed about what has worked, what hasn’t and what price others have paid for our foreign policy mistakes. In the meantime, it pays to remember that in the past, the defeat of Islam has usually meant a fight to the death.
“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” - Churchill
“Trying to bring democratic and representative reform to these nations is not a mistake.”
I agree it is not a mistake to try. But realistically, it will not often succeed. In the case of Iraq I believe it will devolve once more into a dictatorship when we leave.
I guess this is the reason for my disdain for the idea of making the world “safe for democracy”.
We should ONLY fight for reasons of self defense or for the defense of our allies. And when we do, we need to kick ass; none of this pissing away our soldiers like we did in Vietnam.
LOL the liberal approach is to sit on our butts and let them come and kill us all...
Yeah that will work.... Idiots... I guess 911 wasn’t enough... well what possibly can Obama say to the familys of Americans killed in the next attack on the Homeland?
I still think that wherever Democracy is tried in the Islamic world - Pakistan, Palestine, Iran, etc. the radicals get elected as most voters in these countries are Muslims.
In order for Democracy - as viewed traditionally in the west, to succeed, you need certain other ingedients besides besides a ballot box.
You need respect for minority rights, you need tolerance of varying opinions, you need an educated electorate. All of these are lacking in Islamic societies and in some cases contrary to Koranic teaching.
In short, for Democracy to suceed in the Islamic world, you ahve to de-Islamicize the population.
I believe Bush’s foreign policies, in some cases, were naive and unrealistic and shaped by pro-Islamists and neo-cons in his administration.
“Trying to bring democratic and representative reform to these nations is not a mistake.”
I agree, once the terrorists went legit as an elected body, the international handouts stopped and they had to start functioning as a government accountable to voters, instead of a Marxist revolutionary force being funded by Commies and gullible Americans.
SLA