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Prosperity and Democracy.

Reader comment on item: Will Prosperity End Palestinian Enmity to Israel?

Submitted by Robert Lynn (Canada), Dec 31, 2005 at 21:06

In my layman's reading of history the idea that prosperity precedes democracy gradually formed in my mind and I now believe that this is indeed the case. The problem in applying this theory to the so-called Arab-Israeli Conflict is that I believe this is a process that occurs over several hundreds of years if not thousands of years with no guaranty of success.

Koch-Weser, Friedman, and Wolfensohn I believe are espousing the typical leftist view of victimization and the ability of government programs to immediately right any perceived wrongs. One does not have to look far to ascertain that this "push button" view of history has not worked anywhere. I wonder if this thinking is a relic of the Industrial Revolution? There seems to be no successful substitution to the hard grind of history.

In Canada we have "Indian Reserves". They are bottomless money pits and they might serve as a useful analogy. As long as the free money rolls in nothing will change and the only thing the government programs do is to preserve the status quo. Most reserves are controlled by a small cadre of "family gangs" leaving most residents disenfranchised and embittered. The only other requirement is to find someone to blame while the leadership continues to gorge themselves. Hence the refrain, "This is stolen land, this is Indian land". In fact, we have one idiot Saskatchewan native leader David Ahenakew, who even blamed the Jews. The situation in Canada seems to be the PA in a microcosm.

In conclusion, I do believe that prosperity precedes democracy but that it is something that Arabs must accomplish themselves. The Oslo Accords utterly stopped this process and the ensuing chaos should serve as a warning to do-gooders and other useful idiots not to interfere in the development of this pre-modern society (primitive). In the meantime, only a military solution will set the conditions where development is once again possible.
Submitting....

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Reader comments (21) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Keep them on gruel [115 words]jennifer solisApr 22, 2008 01:16126446
Gruel is too good for them. [162 words]Joe KaffirApr 23, 2008 21:28126446
Either ways making the west submit to Islam. [319 words]YnnatchkahApr 20, 2008 21:44126305
New Home-Buying Plan ? [148 words]YnnatchkahApr 20, 2008 16:20126279
"palestinians" are not a nation, therefore... [169 words]koah1Mar 3, 2006 16:1038798
there is an answer [161 words]patemFeb 19, 2006 14:5036357
Hamas is that Jihadi in the window? World Bank = walking bombs [106 words]Ben van de PolderJan 17, 2006 21:1031874
Answer to title of article: NO [176 words]PDMJan 16, 2006 20:3631765
bad behavior [49 words]AdamJan 2, 2006 00:0230921
FOLLOW THE MONEY TRAIL [135 words]joncohenJan 1, 2006 12:4930889
Have food sent in! [73 words]PigfootJan 6, 2006 12:2930889
Prosperity and Democracy. [320 words]Robert LynnDec 31, 2005 21:0630857
NEVER [22 words]rachel ettelmanDec 31, 2005 11:5330843
Will Palestinian Prosperity End the Arab-Israeli Conflict? [77 words]JeffDec 30, 2005 14:3930802
all of the land was barren [89 words]yuval brandstetterDec 30, 2005 16:0830802
The business of corruption and terrorism [143 words]PigfootJan 5, 2006 17:1330802
PALESTINIAN DEVELOPMENT? [281 words]Fred KDec 30, 2005 13:1130797
Freedom and Gold [150 words]Mourad AntoineDec 31, 2005 17:3530797
Mindset Trumps Economics [331 words]ddsDec 30, 2005 12:3730794
And we know [15 words]R.MitelmanDec 28, 2005 14:5130704
Further to R.Mitelman [29 words]ddsDec 30, 2005 12:3930704

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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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