Lack of development of free and fair democracy in most third world countries has led me to the infer that democracy might be just not right for many of those nations. It's like power is so intoxicating that elected leaders tend to hold on to their positions like their lives. This is especially true in third world nations.
A place like Nigeria for example was doing perfectly well under England. They were well on their way to become one world's greatest nations until they became independent. As if the Kingdom system of ruling was ingrained in their genes; almost all the leaders came into power and tried to hold on to it. Within a few years a nation known for it's mighty potential became known for it's corruption and violence.
Another example is Pakistan. It's like these leaders just can't bring themselves to becoming followers after tasting power. Musharraf keeps clinging unto power like it's he's fathers property. The same thing in Kenya and almost all over the third world.
I think the problem with many of these leaders is that when they get these offices, they live like there won't be a tomorrow, but when their terms come to an end they start to fear what the incoming administration would do find if they have access to the records.
Some of these governments have a particular group, race or political party they favor when in office. As in the case of Saddam he was biased to a particular tribe. Killed the others and didn't want to leave office either.
Maybe if we went back to the colonial system where the leader is not biased it would all be better.... just a thought.
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Nigeria is part of the N-11 which is fantastic in terms of economic investment. And Musharraf and Saddam came to power via coups.
really?
You used examples of totalitarian regimes to try to infer that democratic values don't hold true in third world countries. Perhaps it's just that market-economies can't come to fruition without a stable governing force.
No, i used examples of what results as a consequence of tried and failed democracies in the third.
Where two nearly identical parties split all of the issues down the middle of the poll results, take almost exactly equal amounts of corporate money from the exact same people, then give us a couple guys that went to the same college, and belonged to the same clubs And let us vote for whichever twin we like.
Can you point to the last presidential election where we could choose someone that did not represent the corporate establishment?
From a cold blooded orderly succession of power perspective we have them beat. Just don't call it 'free elections' unless there is actually a choice.
hhmmmm.... at least we get to change the guy who sits in the office
That is better, than a dictator, and our politicians will blow which ever way the polls tell them to, so they can stay in power and have lobbyests with bags of cash come visit them. Not the worst form of government by any means. It does make for a very good climate for business to operate in.
LOL.
50 years ago most of the middle east was doing just fine with their new found freedom and democratic structures. To say that it is "b/c of their location or the type of people they are" is just arrogant and false. Perhaps they've had horrible leaders, but there is a reason for that.
We usually backed the shitty leaders. We wanted democracy so bad that we backed any leader who mentioned the word, regardless of their histories or actions. We gave them the power that they now abuse.
Not to mention their uber-economies. Middle east economies tend to be based on oil. A product that makes them incredibly rich with little effort. Think of how the united states became powerful, through innvoation, hard-work, and at the right time a little gov't intervention. Middle east countries become incredibly powerful, incredibly wealthy through no work, no innovation, and no gov't oversight. They are even given power by outsiders or by the very land they live on.
"Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutley."
"They lie about marijuana. Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated. Lie! When you're high, you can do everything you normally do, just as well. You just realize that it's not worth the fucking effort. There is a difference." Bill Hicks
Name any event that proved that any nation in the middle east, except Israel, "was doing just fine with their new found freedom and democratic structures", "50 years ago".
By the way it is interesting how people find a way to blame the US for every single ill on earth.
Wasn't Mossadegh doing quite well until we overthrew him? I guess we didn't quite like them (the Iranians) exerting their will.
Blame is a harsh word. However we say it all the time, "America is the greatest country on the planet." Well I take it one step further, "America has the most responsibility on the planet."
And yes, there have been times when America has not lived up to its responsibility.
"They lie about marijuana. Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated. Lie! When you're high, you can do everything you normally do, just as well. You just realize that it's not worth the fucking effort. There is a difference." Bill Hicks
Nigeria may have been fine during colonization from the perspective of the British. The people were heavily oppressed however.
--Mike
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Maybe colonization started as basically oppression of the people and looting of their resources, but towards the middle of the 1990's, it became mostly nation building. In Africa thousands of world class schools were started for local kids and well paid teachers were flown in from the west..
How late do you think Nigeria got its independence?
--Mike
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1960
So what do the 1990s have to do with colonization?
--Mike
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I disagree with the suggestion to go back to colonialism. Colonialism is what destroyed the beauty and power of many African cultures because of all of the European intervention. It is the colonialism, which created random borders with no regard to ethnic groups, that has led to the fighting and violence that is present today.