From: Christian Weisgerber (naddy@mips.inka.de)
Date: Sun Mar 09 2003 - 16:25:07 MST
spike66 <spike66@attbi.com> wrote:
> By extrapolation, I must conclude that the
> notion that much of the world is anti-west is an
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> intentionally myopic fabrication.
Somehow I don't recall this notion even being suggested.
> One can imagine a number of Iraqis and others in the
> middle east desperately hoping for a US-led rescue.
> Iraq must have its own budding young capitalists, its
> frustrated intellectuals, its flaming athiests, feminists,
> sexual revolutionaries, internet users, oppressed gays,
> technophiles, classic liberals, hippies, libertarians,
> progressives, its own extropians.
And Iraq most certainly has its oppressed islamists who are eager
to see Hussein's secular regime swept away so they can replace it
with a proper islamic republic. A large part of the 500,000 or so
Iraqi refugees/expatriats currently living in Iran are likely to
harbor political ambitions of this kind, and the 65% or so Shiite
majority of the general Iraqi population may, too.
Setting up a western-style democracy in Iraq will likely have to
happen against the expressed will of the majority of the people.
Which makes for a very interesting, but oddly familiar definition
of "democracy".
One of the TV commentators here mentioned that the only free election
in an Arab country in recent time was the one in Algeria, which was
subsequently annulled, when it turned out that an islamist party
had won the majority of votes.
> All these would yearn for a more western society.
> Add them together and it *might* constitute a
> terrified majority in these oppressed countries.
> Let us not assume the world hates the west.
The world is a whole lot bigger than the Middle East. And the West
is quite a bit bigger than the USA. Ask around how many people
hate the Swiss...
-- Christian "naddy" Weisgerber naddy@mips.inka.de
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