21 readers online now

99,284 comments by 26,351 readers

Go to Mobile Site

Too optimistic
Reader comment on item: A Better World[, Explains Michael Mandelbaum]

Submitted by Benjamin Stephenson (Canada), Dec 27, 2002 at 09:10

Global peace is no nearer, I am afraid, than it ever was. Due to trafficking in small arms and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, much of the world is currently a war zone. Wars are simply fought more covertly, and with greater cowardice. Take militant Islamist militias for example. They are no less at war with North America than were the Nazis. However, they restrict themselves to a shadowy war war in which civilians are the primary target.

As for democracy, the optimism is again premature. Democracy is an artificial state of affairs, and must be nurtured by a concerned and active citizenry in order to truly work. However, the interest in the democratic process in many countries ( as expressed in voter turnout ) has dwindled over the past decades. We must remember two things about democracy. First, that it is still, relative to other forms of government, in its infancy. Communism took a few generations to fail. How can we be sure that the democratic experiment will never fail? Also, we should remember that democracy is not something stable, but something which requires the active participation of citizens.

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 for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.

Submit a comment on this item

Search by Enter name or date
Search Forum Comments:

Reader comments (16) on this item

Title By Date
The strength of democracy [250 words]Brian JacksonFeb 1, 2003 16:57
Mandelbaum Premature? [440 words]Ruben PerlmutterJan 2, 2003 18:29
Democracy is dictatorship by the majority. [125 words]Goh Heung Yong.Jan 1, 2003 19:43
Democracy [126 words]B DormanAug 31, 2006 20:33
Islamic history contradicts [30 words]Charles CouryJan 1, 2003 15:35
Limited Government key [21 words]Ricardo PedrazaJan 1, 2003 13:34
UK [112 words]IsaDec 28, 2002 10:45
Peace, Democracy and Free Market [45 words]Muhammad SiddiquiDec 28, 2002 01:11
Great Disaster [273 words]Dr Mac BarksdaleDec 27, 2002 23:09
Good ideology [250 words]MottyDec 27, 2002 20:57
Re: peace, democracy, and free markets [212 words]David RomeroDec 27, 2002 18:10
Mandelbaum [91 words]Martin SchulbergDec 27, 2002 16:07
Islamic facisim [144 words]Glenn KlotzDec 27, 2002 14:20
Vehement Disagreement with Mandelbaum [138 words]Sy SteinbergDec 27, 2002 10:42
⇒ Too optimistic [190 words]Benjamin StephensonDec 27, 2002 09:10
Totalitarian ideologies [252 words]AnonymousDec 27, 2002 04:58

Comment on this item

Name
Email Address (optional)
Title of Comments
Comments:

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 for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.

See the 25 most recent outstanding comments.

ADVERTISEMENTS

Premium Links by Wikio

Computers
Electronics
Communication
Appliances

eXTReMe Tracker

All materials written by Daniel Pipes on this site © Daniel Pipes. Email: MeqMef@aol.com

You can help support Daniel Pipes' important work by making a tax-deductible donation to the Middle East Forum.