If you take a good hard look around the globe you will see some good things and some bad things when it comes to governments. When asking yourself the question is the world ready for freedom and democracy, you will either blindly answer based on the concept of freedom and democracy, or you will discover something else.
In some places around the world people simply are not ready for all that freedom and democracy at the level found in the USA. A place that finds itself on the front page of news nearly every night is one of them. The place is Iraq. Saddam Hussein was a tyrant no doubt. The way he ruled was by fear and regularly making examples. Many of the things he did were no doubt evil and criminal, however he was that nasty cork in a bottle that was keeping Iraq under control.
When the USA removed that cork all the infighting started, and now Iraq is a country at war with itself. Had Saddam Hussein still been in control, non of the last internal fighting would have happened. The deep and long lived hate between various group spilled on to the streets when they were given the freedom to do so. However this conflict was also fed by groups looking to exploit that hatred. The amazing thing is hatred it taught and not natural. Removing the teaching of hate will be one of the very first things that needs to be done.
You can easily go back and find history on wars that range from religious to racial. These conflicts erupted because they simply were given the freedom to do so. Places like Bosnia and Serbia the racial hatred is centuries old and started of ignorance. The bottom line is not everyone has the maturity to deal with freedom as freedom is both a privilege and a responsibility.
In some countries like North Korea democracy could take a easier hold because of the eventual blending and reuniting with South Korea. There is no hatred there on any big scale, it was politics that split the country. The Korean’s are still one people.
In Thailand although a democratic country, there are still problems. The problems stem from a group of politicians who see this as a money machine and systematically removed checks and balances moving the country closer to a dictatorship. In this case democracy needs to be on a short leash until the right people find their way into office.
The level of education also plays a roll in democracy. If people do not have the education to see right from wrong, then they will be lead down the wrong path selling their votes to whoever can lie the best.
In places where other forms of government exist like communism, it becomes necessary to see why they flourish. If it is because the people do not have the education or discipline to make a democracy work, then this prerequisite must first be established. There are simply too many things to consider before launching a democracy such as beliefs, culture conflicts, and lacking education. If there are problem areas the outcome may be worse than the original government. It is like watching a child grow up, at each age they become more responsible. In some cases the adults are still children when it comes to what it takes to have a democracy and the freedom that goes with it.
thank you, bro
You have it the problem right on the nail. Not every country is ready for democracy and this should be taken into consideration by Washington as they try to foist it on every country. Democracy is a Western invention that took hold gradually over a long period. It was also tailored to fit Western Culture, a culture that had gradually rid itself of feudalism, monarchies, emperors and dictators and established (relatively recently) the idea that everyone is more or less equal. Better education has also played a strong role in making democracies work. Good examples of working recent democracies are South Korea and Taiwan. These were virtual dictatorships but with wealth and education, they were ready to make the leap to proper democracies.
Thailand is not there yet. I often think that it would have done far better under the king’s benevolent guidance than under all these self serving governments. Twenty twenty hindsight. But there is hope. 20 years ago when I was in Thailand, there was not much of a Thai middle class in Bangkok and their vote was not much smarter than your average Issan farmer. Now however, there seems to be much more political awareness in this new middle class and as it grows one day it will carry the majority.
So it is a slow process and the Thais have to do it the Thai way and re-invent the wheel all for themselves. But when they do get there, I hope their version of democracy is better than in the USA where a thrice bankrupt idiot like Bush can steal the election from a man like Gore.