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So what?

Reader comment on item: The Freedom Crusade, Revisited
in response to reader comment: America is not a "Democracy"

Submitted by Alain Jean-Mairet (Switzerland), Jan 13, 2006 at 03:17

Indeed, democratic votes often lead to patent errors (what Daniel Pipes recognizes quite clearly, pointing out that votes in the ME are bringing Islamists on stage). But this here is about something else. What Daniel Pipes is talking about is the base on which to build a workable system – call it a Constitutional Republic, that's alright; here in Switzerland, for example, we call it Direct Democracy and it is doing the job quite well, too.

The point is that the system itself cannot be imposed on a population unless it just was totally defeated (Japan, Germany). Otherwise, you have to promote not a system, but the means to create the system which will be workable at the time and place considered – based on democratic values (civil society, rule of law, freedom of speech, private property, and so on) AND on the local specifics (history, traditions). And that is trickier and takes more time. But that's the way.
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Reader comments (11) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
What about societies of fear? [71 words]David W. LincolnJan 17, 2006 11:4831795
Democracy [519 words]yehuda Ben-AsherJan 15, 2006 13:1031648
Yes, but . . . . [502 words]John Edward PhilipsJan 15, 2006 08:4431643
8The Problems And Drawbacks Of Democracy. [489 words]Seamus MacNemiJan 14, 2006 02:1231596
one person,one voteone value [16 words]priyanka barikAug 6, 2010 13:0231596
vote [8 words]kritikaJul 6, 2012 03:4031596
من أجل مصلحة أمن أسرة المجتمع الدولي [269 words]mohamed.mJan 13, 2006 12:3331573
This is WAR [65 words]SirSethJan 12, 2006 22:5331545
America is not a "Democracy" [417 words]Alan NitikmanJan 12, 2006 18:3531536
So what? [160 words]Alain Jean-MairetJan 13, 2006 03:1731536
Stability [86 words]JonJan 12, 2006 15:3831526

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