From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@yahoo.com)
Date: Wed Feb 19 2003 - 21:20:26 MST
--- Ramez Naam <mez@apexnano.com> wrote:
> From: MaxPlumm@aol.com [mailto:MaxPlumm@aol.com]
> > If our actions in Iraq are based on "selfish" issues of
> > national interest rather than the "spreading of freedom and
> > democracy" and the end result is still a better quality of
> > life for the Iraqi people, I don't see what the problem is.
> > Altruism didn't motivate our actions in World War II or the
> > Cold War and its many proxies, yet millions nonetheless benefited.
>
> Here's the problem. If we're not committed to establishing democracy
> in Iraq, we may be content to install (or allow to come to power) a
> "friendly dictator". That serves US short term interests just fine -
> it stops Iraq from getting nukes. But in the long term, friendly
> dictators increase terrorism against the US and destabilize the
> world.
Do muslim people have a greater or lesser desire for democracy than
those in the west? It seems to me and many others that muslim nations
can't seem to have democracy without going off the deep end into
religious fundamentalism (which has a tendency to like to attack the
West, esp with terrorism). Iran is merely one of the longer lasting
examples. Turkey is living under a fundamentalist administration, while
Algeria dealt with elections that selected fundies as well. Egyptian
democrats are also almost all radical fundies. What gives?
It seems like the only moderates are benign despots who are western
educated (Jordan's Hussein, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi, etc) and who have to
deal with significant fundie threats within their countries.
It is only this history that generates any sort of caution in the west
for supporting democracy in the muslim world. What say you?
=====
Mike Lorrey
"Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
- Gen. John Stark
"Pacifists are Objectively Pro-Fascist." - George Orwell
"Treason doth never Prosper. What is the Reason?
For if it Prosper, none Dare call it Treason..." - Ovid
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