America's revenge: to turn tyrannies into democracies

The Telegraph (U.K.) ^ | 09/11/2002 | Michael Ledeen

[lainde]

BTTT

[Spyder]

He's good. Ping me in the future as well. Thanks!

[#3Fan]

Good read.

[seeker41]

If Iranians and Iraqis are freed, the Syrian dictatorship cannot possibly survive, and the Saudi royal family would have to choose between shutting down its worldwide network of radical Wahhabi mosques or facing the same destiny as the others.

This is why most arab states do not support us, they know they are doomed. To me this is the most important nugget in the article.

[Dog]

Pokey .......thanks!

[nicmarlo]

Bump for later read, and thanks for the ping, pokey. Keep me on this ping list, thanks.

[CWOJackson]

Please add me; thanks.

[KeyWest]

Me too.

[KeyWest]

Lots of hand wringing about the next Iraqi regime, if it will ever survive, if they will hate us .... on and on. In any situation like this, look at what happens if we do nothing as well as if we do something. You have a mad man who gases his own people, is implicated in 9/11, and is a haven for those who are attacking us. Add nucs and I would say the alternatives to not attacking are an invitation to more terrorism since it shows our incapacity to sustain any war against terror. On the other hand, the views of the article look pretty good in comparison. And if they do not take place, it will still send a signal that will make others a bit more hesitant to do anything.

[VA Advogado]

You nuts sure stick together, dispite all your rolling around.

you appear to have all the specific gravity of a sytrofoam packing peanut. Congrats!

[CWOJackson]

But will he stick to a cat?

[VA Advogado]

But will he stick to a cat?

Sure, if you first rub his fir in the wrong direction.

[Molly Pitcher]

Please do add my name to the Ledeen list, and also the Steyn list! Thanks so much.

[Tares]

Please add me to the new bump list. Thanks.

[RottiBiz]

Please add my name to the Michael Ledeen list, too.

Thanks for all you do, Pokey!

[Pokey78]

All have been added.

[Forgiven_Sinner]

I have to post a dissent to the ideas

(1)That you can impose Democracy on people.

(2) That it makes any idealistic or practical sense, to seek to impose Democracy on any people, where there are not certain ingredients, which make it likely to work.

(3)That imposing Democracy on people, who have demonstrated that they hate one another, is likely to engender either peace or good feeling in a region.

Great comments, Ohioan. (I'm an Ohioan too.) Still, given the requirements of a democracy (educated populace, middle class), I'd say both Iraq and Iran can choose democracy, if they wish. We can only offer them the choice, which they do not have now. The killer word in your list is "impose". To "impose" is to dictate, the antithesis of democracy. Mr. Ladeen did not use that word in his essay. Our assumption, good or bad, is that Iraq and Iran will choose democracies, given the choice. I feel certain that is true in Iran; I'm less sanguine about Iraq. I expect a military dictatorship there, post-Saddam.

Put another way, one of the great weaknesses of democracy is that it allows people to enslave themselves as they did when Hitler was elected or Allende in Chile. Hence the value of our Bill of Rights and Constitution.

Finally, Pokey, add me to the Ladeen list.

[knews_hound]

Please add me to the new ping list

And BTW Pokey, thank you for all the timely pings you give, your service is appreciated.

Cheers

knews hound

[JohnHuang2]

Thanks for the ping, Pokey.

[JohnHuang2]

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