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Old 02-12-2004, 13:42   #9
NousDefionsDoc
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Join Date: Jan 2004
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Quote:
Originally posted by Solid
I also think the economy plays a key factor. A poverty-struck nation tends towards extremism, which in this case would probably an Islamic totalitarian government.

Would you agree that both Democracy and Republic can only be stable in Most Developed Nations? It seems that most of the criteria for successful implementation and stability are related to Standards of Living, which tend to be high(er) in MDCs.

Solid
I'm not so sure I agree. It seems that the countries in the middle, neither very poor nor very successful, tend to be the most succeptable to things like insurgencies, coups, etc. One thing to look at is the level of professionals that cannot find work in their chosen profession or that feel marginlized. There seems to be a greater correlation there than in simple economics.

In the ME, I would look more at religious factors first. How does democracy fit with Islamic beliefs, including those that have been corrupted by the major influencers? In LATAM, the US is still relatively well thought of. Therefore, we can use the US as an example of why "democracy" works. In the ME, can we do this considering that the US has been held up as the great Satan? What other examples of democracy working can they look to? Israel? Turkey? Where's the example that will work for all of the different groups in Iraq?

The question to me is, if I'm an Arab, "What benefit is democracy going to have for me?" In other words, "Why should I change everything I believe in, thousands of years of traditions, because you say so?"
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