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

To: cnyndwllr who wrote (271581)	11/18/2009 1:53:13 PM
From: Hawkmoon	1 Recommendation Respond to of 281500

Why can't you "impose democracy"? If I go to your country and use overwhelming force to require that your leaders be elected by the votes of whichever of you is willing to vote, isn't that imposing democracy? You can't impose it anymore than I can impose upon you to speak your mind. HOWEVER, using coercive techniques, a government CAN DENY YOU the ability to speak your mind by threatening you with fines, imprisonment, or even death. EVERYONE WANTS TO SPEAK THEIR MINDS!! I don't know of a single person I've ever met who doesn't have an opinion as to how they would run things if they were given the chance. The question is whether they are ever permitted by the "powers that be" to actually have their voice heard. When I deny you the right to speak your mind, or elect your representatives, I've put your thoughts on a "leash" (or restraint). If I no longer control how you think or I don't seek to deny you your rights to express your opinions, I've "unleashed" you. Thus, you cannot impose democracy because democracy means unleashing the rights of individuals to have a say in how they are governed, for better or worse. Also, why would it be "fine with you" if a country like Afghanistan chose a democratic form of government and then decided to impose Sharia or wage global jihad? People have the right to make bad choices (look at the election of Hamas in Gaza).. But they should ALSO have the right to replace that government when they become dissatisfied with them. That requires that the democratic process is preserved and guarded. That normally requires a professional military and internal security that pledges allegiance to the constitution, not the current government (eg: Honduras). And if they were to elect the Taliban to power, and they undertook aggressive Jihad, then I wouldn't have too many qualms about waging war on the entire population, just like we did with Nazi Germany (Hitler was elected too). In my mind, if people elect a government that sets them on a course of aggression against other countries, then the democratic process merely clarified the issue for those who have to confront them. But you know something, we've NEVER YET (to my knowledge) had one democracy wage war upon another. If for any other reason, we need to unleash democracy around the world. So let's get real here; democracies work where there is a culture of justice, a respect for the rule of law and a deep appreciation of the rights of minority races, religions and ethnicities. They work BEST under such circumstances. But look at our own history and see how we've had to evolve from a government where only property owners could vote and we held slaves to where we currently are. See the big picture Ed. We can no longer afford to ignore how 1.3 billion people are held in intellectual and political bondage by people who would like to destroy the concept of democracy. Hawk