[lit-ideas] Fukuyama's Democracy Angst
- From: Omar Kusturica <omarkusto@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006 13:06:07 -0800 (PST)
I agree with the point that, ultimately, there is no
better idea than promoting democracy in the ME. (I
don't think Fukuyama was suggesting otherwise, but I
don't know his thinking all that well.) Also, I agree
that the previous policies of supporting supposedly
liberal (read secular) regimes that were not
democratic have failed and backfired. The question is
how promoting democracy is to be done. The article
wishes to credit the Bush Administration with having
"brought four democratic governments to power in the
Middle East: by force of arms in Afghanistan and Iraq,
and through highly assertive diplomacy in Lebanon and
Palestine." I don't think that the Bush administration
brought democracy into power in Lebanon or Palestine,
though in Lebanon they may have encouraged it (They
didn't really like it in Palestine.). Basically it was
the local people who demanded change and there were
considerable democratic mechanisms and traditions
already in place. This is very different from Iraq and
Afghanistan where the US came in using the force of
arms and we are still very far from being able to say
that either of them has democracy. (Iraq is beginning
to look like it is going to have civil war instead,
increasingly.)
I have some other quibbles such as, I am not sure how
democratic Thailand or even Japan are today. Wonder
whether we are not confusing capitalism with liberal
democracy.
O.K.
[lit-ideas] Fukuyama's Democracy Angst
From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006 10:49:56 -0800
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110008019
The above is an excellent article from the Wall Street
Journal in response
to Fukuyama's abandonment of his Neocon associates.
Lawrence
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