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Democracy Without Delusions

By W. James Antle, III on 1.31.11 @ 1:56PM

John is right that freedom and democracy have advanced since Kirkpatrick wrote her essay in 1979, in no small part due to the collapse of the Soviet empire and Western victory in the Cold War. But I'd point out to you that none of these gains took place in the Middle East or North Africa where there is exactly one free country -- Israel -- and 78 percent of the countries (and 88 percent of the population) are not free. (I'm using the same Freedom House data.) Kuwait, Lebanon, and Morocco are partly free. Iraq and Afghanistan, beneficiaries of the "freedom agenda," are not free. So the basic point that creating democracy is difficult remains valid today.

It's true that U.S. support for autocratic regimes can, like other forms of intervention, inflame anti-American feelings in these countries. It's equally true that there is a fair amount of anti-American and illiberal sentiment that already exists in these countries that will initially be empowered by elections. Again, we've seen Hamas, Hezbollah, and various other Islamist parties win free elections, perhaps soon to be joined by the Muslim Brotherhood.

But my point was never that the United States should either support the autocratic regimes or decline to criticize repression where it is found. I'm simply arguing that we should generally avoid picking winners and losers in other countries' political disputes, especially in cases where our genuine knowledge is limited and the line of demarcation between the "good guys" and the "bad guys" isn't clear. It isn't always 1979, but it isn't always 1938, 1989 or 1991 either. In some places, 1979 would be an improvement.

View all comments (5) | Leave a comment

Derek Leaberry| 1.31.11 @ 2:35PM

I wouldn't be so joyful over democracy, certainly not the radical democracy that much of the world has evolved into. Democracy leads to politicians buying votes, a citizenry who pay politicians to extract money or services from the government, socialism, moral degeneracy and, as we can see on the horizon, bankruptcy.

JmsA| 1.31.11 @ 3:05PM

Speaking of Democracy, Obamacare has been ruled unconstitutional.

kevinsoberg| 1.31.11 @ 5:30PM

All this talk of "Democracy" is beside the point. The genius of the American Revolution, with ideas of natural rights directly inherited from the British system, was the expansion of Liberty. However, Democracy is no guarantor of Liberty. Democracy in the wrong hands can be Liberty's worst enemy. After the fall of autocratic, repressive regimes, many countries have fallen into Tyranny as a direct result of Democracy. Should we support the fall of the Mubarak regime in the name of Democracy, if it ultimately leads to another Islamic "Republic", a la Iran, with it's resulting repression of human rights? Out of the frying pan, into the fire...

FREE tea| 2.1.11 @ 8:12AM

---Enough with these sideshow distractions about
'democracy' --which are so craftily employed to deflect
attention from the TRUE source of our trouble,
violation of the Republic and the RULE of Law
at the hands of our these ultra-rich, tax free, Globalist
EUGENICS 'promoting' capstone foundations
and quisling NGO's
and their inbred brethren in London.

It's the 11th hour! GET REAL

martin j smith| 2.1.11 @ 8:29AM

radicals such as Nazis and Communists use the word DEMOCRACY for their own political ends. but it has zero to do with what I believe it to mean. Elections also mean nothing because again they can be used to justify a most hateful and autocratic regime. In our country we have a President who is an autocrat. So how the heck do you expect him to respond when a fellow dictator is challenged. Obama has no ideals but his own PERSONAL POWER AND HIS IDEOLOGICAL AGENDA.That is why he is incapable to taking a stand in this situation. My own view is to stand with the demonstrators in general but call for stable BUT CALL FOR A GOVERNMENT NOT A REGIME ) that respects the people as a whole.
Showing tolerance to all minorities and let it go at that. I think we should NOT aid a Radical Islamic State period.