Transitions to Democracy

(Author's note: this comes from a scholarship thing I received via e-mail about how the world can better from democracy blablabla. It stirred a few thoughts in my head. On we go.)

Democracy: its literal meanings, taken from dictionary.com, are

1. Government by the people exercised either directly or through elected representatives.
2. A political or social unit that has such a government.
3. The common people, considered as the primary source of political power.
4. Majority rule.
5. The principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.

Therefore, the word democracy can be summed up by the fourth definition as being a situation where the majority rules in a group of people, or society in itself. This word’s meaning can also be taken to the extent that the populous rules as a government, or in the government’s stead, if the case is as such.

Democracy, in its brightest sense, has been praised by many important world leaders and people around the world as being, basically, the best way to run a country or a people. I, along with many, see it as such. However, just because democracy may or may not be, according to one’s personal opinion, the best darn government to ever grace this fine Earth with its presence does not mean that it must be pushed on everyone else.

Consider this: a country invades a country because of a tyrannical ruler and takes control of the country while capturing the ruler during occupation. The invading country takes it upon itself to set up a new government according to what they think is best. In this case, it is democracy. Well, given a second chance and actual reasonable thought, this invading country may have chosen to let the people decide what type of government they want.

Sound familiar?

It’s because you’ve heard it for nearly three years: the War in Iraq. Don’t get me wrong, I support fully the President and his staff and what they’re doing so far, but I don’t know, it seems as though the voting system over there is having a bit of difficulty getting the Iraqi people to cooperate with this new system.

Perhaps they’re not used to it (the most likely scenario) or they just plain hate America and all it stands for. Fine. We can’t stand a lot of countries either, but you don’t see us going and attacking them just because we don’t like them. Check it: in all the wars we’ve ever been into, the other country provoked us. Which means we aren’t some huge tank of a country just going willy-nilly into any war we see that would be fun. EXCEPT, however the war with democracy.

I’m sure the Iraqi people are sane and competent enough to figure out what type of government they want. They’re not buffoons. They just feel very strongly about what they like and dislike and they voice it quite well, I must say.

Personally, I think Iraq could use a more republic type of government so the people can lay back and shoot whatever they want; let the government handle everything else.

I could be wrong, however.

I’m just a kid.