Is The Mideast Susceptible To Democracy? (Thomas Sowell)

IBD ^ | February 28, 2011 | Thomas Sowell

[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talk about the "liberation" of Egypt, even though the biggest change there has been that a one-man dictatorship has been replaced by a military dictatorship that has suspended the constitution.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...

[SoldierDad]

Without a sense of responsible citizenship, voters can elect leaders who are not merely incompetent or corrupt, but even leaders with contempt for the Constitutional limitations on government power that preserve the people's freedom. Hmmm. This sounds vaguely familiar!!/s

[AlanGreenSpam]

Recall when Libs complained that GWB didn’t have a cohesive post-Iraq invasion plan (expected 7th century humans would just welcome democracy with open arms)?

Well, Libs are making the same mistake they howled about just a few years ago in assuming the same thing will happen in Egypt, Libya, etc. (people will embrace democracy).

Oh the irony...

[Edgewood Pilot]

Great Post ! Sowell is a great American !

[piytar]

Except W did have a comprehensive plan. He even warned us it would be a long fight. The LSM chose to ignore that, and your average libdum is too wilfully ignorant, delusional, or both to have actually understood it (see “cognitive dissonance”). That also means the libdums are blind to what they are doing now...

[Gilbo_3]

Bare literacy is just one of the things needed to make democracy viable. Without a sense of responsible citizenship, voters can elect leaders who are not merely incompetent or corrupt, but even leaders with contempt for the Constitutional limitations on government power that preserve the people's freedom. We already have such a leader in the White House — and a succession of such leaders may demonstrate that the viability of freedom and democracy can by no means be taken for granted here.

thank God we inherited a Constitutional Republic...but can we regain it ???

[LuvFreeRepublic]

This article brought tears to my heart. I fear we are a nation that lacks “bare literacy” needed to preserve our republic and I see no hope for improvement. I’ll will never stop fight though. Great post.

[bayouranger]

Another home run by TS!

[QBFimi]

>> The fact that Egyptians or others in the Middle East and elsewhere want freedom does not mean that they are ready for freedom.

Rather than drooling over Sowell’s fine article, I submit two comments:

1/ I’m old enough to remember Bill Murray (with a mask covering his face) on Saturday Night Live gleefully shouting “Down weeth de Shah! Down weeth de Shah!” Yeah, right.

2/ When the first of the Russian immigrants showed up in New York City, many of them ended up as cab drivers. One gave me a lecture: “You know the problem with America? You have TOO MUCH freedom!”