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Democracy vs. Dictatorship
It took France over 140 years to become democratic; USA, Germany, UK are no different. All those countries put sweat and blood in becoming what they are today. I can guarantee my bottoms that democracy can never work in an Islamic country. Look all around the world. Give me one example of a democratic Islamic world. And the developed world wants to influence their definition of democracy and that will not prosper. Look at what is happening in Egypt. Now there isn't any Hosni, but we don't even recall the name of the president. There is a big gap of leadership out there. And then we have checkered democracy in Pakistan. Yes the west must be happy and content that finally Pakistan is a democratic state. Three years completed of the current regime. The country has nose dived, uprooted with poverty, terrorism, intolerance, corruption. I know that a country whose majority doesn't vote and majority of those who vote are illiterate. They are under the influence of landlords who have flourished since independence and pretty much dictate the electoral process.They are backed by illiterate, captivated and cash strapped people who vote not to expect things will go better for them but to ensure they continue to live on the landlords land and get grains to lead their lives. They don't have guts to listen to their hearts. Landlords will continue to enjoy the ride as they will not allow their slaves to get education and the likely ability to question them. So filthy is this viscous circle that the country should be given to some outsiders as a brand to manage for 5 years. Their task will be to provide a system without any pressure to run the country. Democratic set-up will never have the guts to do it and the dictatorial regime will be too busy to please these landlords in order to extend their run in the power and the common man will continue to suffer.
Alan Bishop
If you look at history you will see that the UK developed a parliament system at a time when only a small percentage of the population could read and write. The democratic system came under threat many times but the people rallied to parliament and pushed back, as was evidenced in the English Civil War in the 1600's. Since that time people have become better educated largely because they demanded education with ever rising standards.
Just because the road to democracy is a hard road it should not be the reason to begin or give up the journey.
Collin Sine
Meher Like Spring Rabbit 10+
Plato to thought democracy one of the worst forms of governance, equating it to a mob mentality.
I'll take a good dictatorship over a bad democracy any day. and at least if the dictator is bad you know who to blame and hold responsible, but in democracy no one is held accountable for anything.
Salim Solaiman 50+
Meher Like Spring Rabbit 10+
Dong-Kuen Oh
However we has achieved democratization and we're really proud of it. Now we can demand the government better health care, social security, and so on. We can vote our president and our congressmen by our hands. These things, now taken for granted, were impossible just few decades ago. It has past just 23 years after democratization and we've still been facing a lot of problems to solve. But we've achieved a lot of things such as 5 peaceful president elections with 2 peaceful changes of government, continuous economic growth, better health care, education system, and so on.
Though Islamic culture may be far different from what developed western counties say, it's could be wrong to say that it is impossible for Islamic world to achieve democratization.
Salim Solaiman 50+
Democratic Islamic World is another misnomer. Real democracy can't be limited with any particular race , religion, colour or creed.
Unfortunate matter is that the so called developed democartic nations so far had very close tie with those your so called "Islamic Nations" , started talking about estabilishing democracy there when the people started fighting back putting their own life at stakf against the tyrants of all those countries.
Krisztián Pintér 200+
eer. you just defeated your own argument. maybe the arab world just needs the same 140 years?
Joseph Nemeth
It's pretty easy to see what is wrong with dictatorships. It's great to live in a dictatorship -- so long as you are part of the privileged class (but not TOO close to the dictator, since they are prone to paranoia). Most of the utopian visions of the world involve a Supreme Leader -- Jesus, Mohammed, King Arthur, Solomon -- who communes with God Himself and rules with absolute power in justice, compassion, and wisdom. But real dictatorships aren't Camelot, and if you aren't part of the privileged class, it kind of sucks -- or so I understand. Those of you who live in a true dictatorship can speak to that impression.
The basic idea of democracy is that if a larger group of people is politically empowered, they will look after their own interests.
I think this reveals one of the pitfalls of democracies and republics. What if the masses DON'T look after their own interests? If they don't vote, or they don't become politically involved? Or what if the election process is corrupted (there are thousands of ways) so that they have no real power? What if the people of the democratic nation cannot rise above tribal differences and work together? I point out that keeping the United States together has come close to complete failure a number of times in its history, starting with the original thirteen fractious colonies, then the American Civil War, and now our Red/Blue divide.
Donald Teale
That's what I think, time will tell, but definately democracy can be an inhibitor to growth and development.
Chris Aldon 20+
"I know that a country whose majority doesn't vote"
Perhaps the same could be said of The United States Of America. When pure democracy is at work in the United States voter turn out is far below majority, there are counties in Michigan (My home state) where voter turnout may be below 20% on an off election year.
As for "managing a country for 5 years" that sounds an awful lot like the dictatorship you'd prefer to prevent.
Debra Smith 200+
Do you believe that there is something unique in the Islamic nations and their personalities (other than the faith) that makes these human beings unable to direct their own destinies?