By Peter B. Meyer – 25th of February 2012
Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and half a dozen others on the brink, who is next, Syria, Iran?
While insurgent masses, in the Middle East and North Africa, having difficulty to achieve democracy in their own country, many have not yet realized what the consequences are. The expressions of dissatisfaction are in each country more or less the same. What the results are must be awaited.
Initially democracy seems a virtuous and decent enough system to replace the tyranny of an autocrat. And that's right, for as long as competent and honourable men exercise the administration. In a popular uprising, dictators are quickly overthrown and the people usually acquire the right of a "voice" through the ballot box.
Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and half a dozen others on the brink, who is next, Syria, Iran?
While insurgent masses, in the Middle East and North Africa, having difficulty to achieve democracy in their own country, many have not yet realized what the consequences are. The expressions of dissatisfaction are in each country more or less the same. What the results are must be awaited.
Initially democracy seems a virtuous and decent enough system to replace the tyranny of an autocrat. And that's right, for as long as competent and honourable men exercise the administration. In a popular uprising, dictators are quickly overthrown and the people usually acquire the right of a "voice" through the ballot box.
Everyone feels involved in the progress and part of the revolution. But unfortunately democracy has the regrettable tendency to remain only a short time in the hands of virtuous and decent leaders. As Winston Churchill once said, democracy is "the worst form of government except for all other forms that have been tried." Consequently democracy wins by default.
Over time, when the fanfare of the revolution is over, begins fate. The democratic political system grows in the direction of tyranny and this time it is imposed by the majority. By the time the parasites among the people through the ballot box obtain the majority to get hold of other people’s property into their own hands, the game is practically over. While oppressive regimes like those of Ben Ali, Hosni Mubarak and Muammar Gaddafi, were an easy target for freedom-seeking individuals, it appears easier to overthrow a dictator than to overthrow a government that has made a mess of their own democracy.
Possibly democracy is a kind of sweetie of the month, an evolutionary development, like all forms of governance that went before? Was it probably successful in the 20th century because it was more appropriate and adapted to take possessions of the rich? That the average citizen was complicit in the interest of the system through bribery to extradite their neighbours to the tax authorities. It was made possible to give the people a vote by the Elite who control the government, to better enable them to take money from the rich and, if required, even the political life of obstructive popular politicians, as maybe was the case with the favoured politician Pim Fortuyn in The Netherlands?
"Soldiers do their duty for a dictator, as the price is right", "Voters do their duty for the government for less money. They are also more willing to submit to government-imposed taxes, particularly if they feel that they are the masters, in lieu of their slaves. The difference is merely an illusion, but it works perfectly adequate. In practice, the electorate has hardly any influence on the group around the government, which is easier on a dictator. But finally, we all have become Democrats. For good or bad.
And herewith we arrived at the present situation. The initial and successive governments have chosen themselves priceless to impose obligations on a far too expensive social systems, nonessential subsidies, bailouts for banks and costly public services, because of that they are now technically bankrupt. As an example, look at nations as Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, America, Japan, etc.
The voters have only themselves to blame. Probably it is better to celebrate the collapse of the government at all levels led by the incompetent Elite, both in this country and as in many other nations. While each day that goes by, meddlesome, intrusive and costly bills are adopted that lead to the denouement that comes by ever closer.
Over time, when the fanfare of the revolution is over, begins fate. The democratic political system grows in the direction of tyranny and this time it is imposed by the majority. By the time the parasites among the people through the ballot box obtain the majority to get hold of other people’s property into their own hands, the game is practically over. While oppressive regimes like those of Ben Ali, Hosni Mubarak and Muammar Gaddafi, were an easy target for freedom-seeking individuals, it appears easier to overthrow a dictator than to overthrow a government that has made a mess of their own democracy.
Possibly democracy is a kind of sweetie of the month, an evolutionary development, like all forms of governance that went before? Was it probably successful in the 20th century because it was more appropriate and adapted to take possessions of the rich? That the average citizen was complicit in the interest of the system through bribery to extradite their neighbours to the tax authorities. It was made possible to give the people a vote by the Elite who control the government, to better enable them to take money from the rich and, if required, even the political life of obstructive popular politicians, as maybe was the case with the favoured politician Pim Fortuyn in The Netherlands?
"Soldiers do their duty for a dictator, as the price is right", "Voters do their duty for the government for less money. They are also more willing to submit to government-imposed taxes, particularly if they feel that they are the masters, in lieu of their slaves. The difference is merely an illusion, but it works perfectly adequate. In practice, the electorate has hardly any influence on the group around the government, which is easier on a dictator. But finally, we all have become Democrats. For good or bad.
And herewith we arrived at the present situation. The initial and successive governments have chosen themselves priceless to impose obligations on a far too expensive social systems, nonessential subsidies, bailouts for banks and costly public services, because of that they are now technically bankrupt. As an example, look at nations as Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, America, Japan, etc.
The voters have only themselves to blame. Probably it is better to celebrate the collapse of the government at all levels led by the incompetent Elite, both in this country and as in many other nations. While each day that goes by, meddlesome, intrusive and costly bills are adopted that lead to the denouement that comes by ever closer.
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