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I'd rather live under a liberal, pro-Western, secular military junta, than an illiberal democracy ruled by Islamists who are destroying liberties, hollowing out
by marcoperaza 10y ago
I'd rather live under a liberal, pro-Western, secular military junta, than an illiberal democracy ruled by Islamists who are destroying liberties, hollowing out civil society, and turning the country into a Sunni version of Iran under the Ayatollahs.
Fareed Zakaria has a great book, The Future of Freedom, where he discusses, among other things, the perils of illiberal democracy. The bit that really stuck in my head is his argument that the impartial judge is a more important institution than the ballot box.
Man has lived under undemocratic regimes for almost all of recorded history. It is the human condition. It is more important to defend civilization and order against barbarism and chaos, than it is to ensure that the majority rules. Liberal values and constitutional government preceded true democracy by hundreds of years in the West. Why do we expect otherwise anywhere else?
- dragonwriter 10y ago> I'd rather live under a liberal, pro-Western, secular military junta, than an illiberal democracy ruled by Islamists who are destroying liberties, hollowing out civil society, and turning the country into a Sunni version of Iran under the Ayatollahs. (1) The Sunni version of Iran under the Ayatollahs is called "Saudi Arabia". (2) Assuming the attribution of the coup to the Gülen movement is accurate, it would likely not have been a "liberal, pro-Western, secular military junta" but instead an "quasi-liberal, pro-Western, relatively-tolerant-but-still-Islamist military junta".
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- marcoperaza 10y agoI think Iran is a better comparison. They keep up the pretense and ceremony of democratic legitimacy, have a sizable and somewhat-tolerated liberal civil society, and rose to power by calling the faithful to the streets. Saudi Arabia is a tough situation. The House of Saud is the only thing standing between the radical imams and total power. The future of the Middle East looks very dark right now. Egypt is the only large power where the forces of order and civilization are winning.
- abrookewood 10y agoI agree with you, but I can't help but feel that this position isn't defensible. Don't they have the democratic right to move to a more religious society if the majority want it?
- tedunangst 10y agoWhether majority rights override individual rights is a matter of some debate.
- dctoedt 10y ago> Don't they have the democratic right to move to a more religious society if the majority want it? No.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- forgottenpass 10y agoThat is "tyranny of the majority", and is one of the well-known failure modes of democracy.
- internaut 10y ago> Liberal values and constitutional government preceded true democracy by hundreds of years in the West. Why do we expect otherwise anywhere else? Also the lion's share of economic and scientific advancement. For some reason democracy is being treated as the all encompassing headline act and receives applause tenuously related to its performance.