Discussion»Statements»Rosie's Corner» Per Freedom House* the United States has "retreatred from its traditional role as both a champion and an exemplar of democracy". Agree/dis?
I disagree with Freedom House's implication that it's a recent thing. The US has been destabilizing democratically elected governments since the 1950s.
As much as the current administration Sbf? Now when you say "democratically elected" are you talking about the rigged sham elections that pass for "democratically elected" or real elections that give folks what they want vis a vis a leader? Thank you for your reply! :)
I'm gonna ask you a question that may be stupid dumb/naive. Be kind. Why would the US want to overthrow a benign leader who is doing good for his country? OK. I'm ready to hear the answer!
"Good for his country" does not necessarily equal "good for US interests in that country". Mohammed Mossadegh was overthrown in a 1953 coup d'etat jointly funded by the US and UK to prevent an audit into Anglo-American oil interests in Iran. The Guatemala coup was carried out boldly by the CIA in 1954 over bananas.
I know you wouldn't lie to me Sbf. That's it? I have read that everything we do politically abroad involves oil. Countries without oil we ignore. They can go to he** as far we are concerned. No money in it for us. I don't know how true that is. I do know capitalists are greedy bas**rds and I don't put anything past them. But bananas? Food? I cahn't stend it! How on earth could bananas be so threatening to US interests that the CIA has to get involved?
Two of Ike's closest advisors had strong ties with the United Fruit Company, whose profits had been seriously depleted by Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz's ending of expolitative working conditions. They conviced Eisenhower that the Árbenz government was aiding and abetting Communism in Latin America. That was enough.
No I don't see that. Where else are you gong to go except Israel which is more s religious-based democracy. But many people forget that we can only be a model because in most countries the circumstance are quite different so they have no real understanding or democracy the way see it. So someone like George Bush who went around advocating democracy for countries that were ill-suited to it were silly and naïve. We can't force our form of government on others.
I disagree. First, how can the United States retreat from it's traditional role as a champion and exemplar of democracy when it's not even a democracy? The United States isn't a democracy, it's a Constitutional Republic. Also just how objective and accurate is this Freedom House if they can't even distinguish between a democracy and a Constitutional Republic? Which is why I don't put much stock in organizations like that. Another point, if the United States has been trying to bring democracy to the world then it's been wrong in doing so. Why? A pure unbridled democracy is a political system in which the majority enjoys absolute power by means of democratic elections. In an unvarnished democracy, unrestrained by a constitution, the majority can vote to impose tyranny on themselves and the minority opposition. They can vote to elect those who will infringe upon our inalienable God-given rights. Thomas Jefferson referred to this as elected despotism. :)
Slartibartfast 