5 ms·

> until it modernizes What's that even supposed to mean?

• mirimir 7y ago
  Until it becomes a liberal democracy, I presume. Which is not bloody likely. And indeed, maybe liberal democracies are history, anyway.
  • mullingitover 7y ago
    If SA were a liberal democracy, Iran is a good example of the government voters would elect and the relationship the country would have with the US. So of course the US prefers tyranny there, just as it preferred tyranny in Iran. Once the oil runs out there, the US will suddenly return to the values it espouses.
    • mirimir 7y ago
      That's a good point. I agree with you about US policy. But basically, that's why liberal democracies are unlikely in the Middle East. It's not just the current tyranny. It's the absence of a cultural context for liberal democracy.
      • apta 7y ago
        > It's the absence of a cultural context for liberal democracy. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
  • apta 7y ago
    Except that liberal democracies are not the only way to run fair and stable societies. So it should not be an end goal, this is a very Western-centric view of things.