Debate : 26137


Off-Topic / Debate / 26137	26136 \| 26138

Subject:	Re: It didn't have to be this way....
Newsgroups:	lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date:	Tue, 12 Oct 2004 05:24:19 GMT
Viewed:	1078 times

In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Frank Filz wrote: > Larry Pieniazek wrote: > http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/pressingissues_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000650551 > > -- snip -- > > In this end this is incredible proof that you just can't hand people > democracy. People need to want and believe in democracy > themselves. And they have to be willing to fight for it. Mmmmm. I think I have remarked upon same here before, and can only agree completely. But as to it not having to be this way, I am not so sure. There would seem to be few examples of freedom delivered from without that were any more successful. There are plenty of examples of foreign powers invading and occupying in the name of delivering freedom (with history's judgment inferring other and much less altruistic motivations), turning into either defeated and occupied protectorates or broken, internal strife stricken countries until one or other of the pre-existing heavyweights takes over and sets off on their own agenda, which may or may not be good for the humble folk living there depending not on the stated aspirations or plans of the invader, but on the pre-existing aspirations of the heavy-weight. Dunno. Maybe I'm being unnecessarily morose. Bush's Australian Deputy Sheriff Howard got re-elected for four more years over the weekend, so I may simply be depressed. Does anyone have any happier historical memories of countries invaded to remove despots and set on a shining path without Iraq's grief, something more along the lines of how Lar thought it could have been? Richard Still baldly going...

Message has 2 Replies:

		Re: It didn't have to be this way....
(...) The closest I can think of is West Germany, but that might not count due to how short of a time they were under the rule of a despot, and the fact that they were the invading nation, not the invaded. (20 years ago, 12-Oct-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

		Re: Lap-dogs (was: It didn't have to be this way....)
(...) LOL it doesn't really depress me, but it does surprise me. I mean, everyone I've spoken to since the election has said "so who the heck voted Liberal??". But I guess that's probably just a case of me associating with people that share similar (...) (20 years ago, 13-Oct-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

Message is in Reply To:

		Re: It didn't have to be this way....
(...) (URL) read. One thought I have though... Would the situation truly be any better if Sadam had got out of power any other way? Part of what is happening is the power vacuum that results from elimination of a despot. The rest of the problem is (...) (20 years ago, 12-Oct-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

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