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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jacob Snyder who wrote (105346)	7/15/2003 12:22:06 AM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

<To consider Iran an elected government is risible.> It's a semi-democracy, very imperfect. Sort of like the American Republic was, 200 years ago, when only white male property owners had the vote Yes, except in Iran, the franchise is more severely limited - only the "Council of Guardians" gets a vote. Everyone else gets an excercise in futility. A limited franchise democracy is still a democracy if - here's the big test - the voters can throw the buggers out. They always could in America. The Iranians keep trying, but are having no luck at all.

To: Jacob Snyder who wrote (105346)	7/15/2003 8:54:37 AM
From: Neocon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

We did not invade Afghanistan or Iraq to impose democracy. The imposition of democracy is not our normal modus operadus. However, now that we are in these countries, there is nothing wrong with trying to promote democracy, although, indeed, we may not be perfectly successful. In any event, civil liberties are a more important element of liberalization than elections, frankly, because with civil liberties, the basis of political reform is established, whereas a regime that squelches the free exchange of ideas and controls the media, though it may win elections, merely reflects the tyranny of the (controlled) majority. You obviously do not apppreciate the potential for instability among factions in these countries, to blow it off as opposition to the United States. Afghanistan did not fall apart, and ultimately end up under the oppressive regime of the Taliban, because of US occupation, but because we neglected it after the Soviets were driven out;. Similarly, a premature withdrawal will invite intercommunal violence in Iraq. It is an Orwellian definition of democracy to suppose that one election can result in dictatorship, which is what you are promoting.