Comment: Is Democracy a Passing Phase?
Note: The opinions expressed are his own and do not represent the views of INS News

Washington, Mar. 11 2002 (INS News) -- World democracy was not very practical if we think about it. The United States has attempted in its foreign policy to make the rest of the world democratic. It is an unrealistic dream that is starting to look more and more bleak right in are backyard. The democratic gains in Latin America after years of dictatorship are being reversed in some places. Hugochavez in Venezuela has suspended the constitution and is acting more and more "loco" every month. There could be a coup any day now by the military as the rest of South America is becoming more and more unstable again.

Colombia is constantly marred by civil war. Argentina can not even keep a president for more than a month. While the one party seventy year rule in Mexico has ended, Mexico's democracy is deteriorating as well. In Southern Africa you have a bunch of paranoid rulers like Mugabe in Zimbabwe and South Africa's Mbeki who are threatening any form of democracy as we know it. Namibia is having the same trouble. Much of Africa had failed to live the democratic dream following colonialism. Most of North Africa are undemocratic as our are Mideast allies and enemies. Iran talks of reform but is still and will always be in the hands of the undemocratic clerics.

Red China will never have democracy as long as no one puts up a struggle against the ruling communist party. The worlds second largest country,India, continues to be marred from internal religions and ethnic fighting which threatens the largest democratic country in the world. Indonesia and North Korea are police and old school communist states. All of Indo-China continues to be repressive.

Democratic nations of Asia like Malaysia and the Philippines are continually harassed by Islamic insurgents which threatens the current democratic reign. Russia and the former Eastern bloc are not having any success with democracy and are threatened from right wing extremists or former communists.

Even Europe, I predict will revert to her fascist past in some cases, as people look for an answer to the refugee and illegal alien crisis. I would not be surprised if the governments of Spain, Italy, and Francefall victims to a new xenophobia antidemocratic movement. Germany is Germany and always a possibility for trouble. The world is at its greatest peril since World War II.

The threat of terrorism and the struggle for democracy around the world is failing. It must be up to the United States and Britain,the two countries where democracy is stable, to continue to lead the initiative and the war against terrorists and undemocratic nations where ever they exist. Battles have been won and will be lost on the political world map.

Perhaps Democracy was never meant to be. Mankind as lived without it through much of our history once we ended are hunting and gathering lifestyle and settled down. Maybe all that stuff from the French enlightenment and the American revolution will never mean anything to the Islamic,communists,mad dictators,corrupt regimes, royal kingdoms, and neo fascists around the world. If so, we need to eliminate them one at a time and put in people of righteousness in their place by force.

Then the people can decide if life is better than before. Maybe they will come to appreciate democracy and be willing to die defending it when it is threatened. If not then democracy is not fitted for everyone...only those who care.

-- Andreas Munger in Chicago. E-Mail: a.munger@insnews.org

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