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That did not take long.

Lemon law

Lifer
Nov 6, 2005
20,984
3
0
As the ink is barely dry on the announcement that the US military occupation of Iraq is over,
and now it very much looks like Iraqi democracy is in big danger of collapse.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/20/w...ccuses-top-official-in-assassinations.html?hp

I very much doubt the terrorism charges against the Sunni block are true, but faced with a no confidence vote, Maliki responds with a tactic straight out of the Saddam Hussein playbook. As I doubt Maliki can prevail in the face of any subsequent no confidence votes.

With a very great chance that this the end of democracy in Iraq. If we know anything of Maliki, that fellow will do anything to remain on top.
 

Skitzer

Diamond Member
Mar 20, 2000
4,414
3
81
Don't worry, Iran will occupy and straighten things out soon enough.
 

Lemon law

Lifer
Nov 6, 2005
20,984
3
0
I thought islam was a religion of peace?
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Long before the birth of Islam, there were military strongmen called Kings or dictators. A common form of government all over the planet to this day. And quite clearly a form of government compatible with almost all world religions. With Christianity a serial abuser and perhaps the most brutal abusers of absolute state powers.

Now we can only wait and see, if Maliki will cross the Rubicon and become the new Iraqi dictator.
 

pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
22,366
4,976
136
We were asked to leave. We took our give a damn with us.

This.

It is after all Iraq.

Iraq, Iran, Pakistan Afghanistan they are all shit holes and will throw away any opportunity to make themselves better. We tried they will not cooperate; fuck em.
 

1prophet

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2005
5,313
534
126
As the ink is barely dry on the announcement that the US military occupation of Iraq is over,
and now it very much looks like Iraqi democracy is in big danger of collapse.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/20/w...ccuses-top-official-in-assassinations.html?hp

I very much doubt the terrorism charges against the Sunni block are true, but faced with a no confidence vote, Maliki responds with a tactic straight out of the Saddam Hussein playbook. As I doubt Maliki can prevail in the face of any subsequent no confidence votes.

With a very great chance that this the end of democracy in Iraq. If we know anything of Maliki, that fellow will do anything to remain on top.
There was as much Democracy in Iraq as there was weapons of mass destruction, the day Iraq had Sharia law codified into their civil laws instead of separation of religion from state and relegated women to second class status that was the end of any type of modern democracy,

yet the fools in charge still go around proclaiming how we brought them democracy and the sheep lap it up.
 

Hugo Drax

Diamond Member
Nov 20, 2011
5,647
47
91
Democracy does not work in the Middle East. you need someone like hussein to keep things in check. Dictatorships under fear of death is the only form of governments that work in those countries. We are the morons thinking they want our way of life.
 

Karl Agathon

Golden Member
Sep 30, 2010
1,081
0
0
stay on subject....all these Muslim apologists....try to equate the Muslim religion with Christainity -- bunch of idiots!!

Not to mention the fact that many of the people here who love to morally equivocate the two also like to bash Jews and Judiasm too.
 

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,326
68
91
Capitalism / Democracy does not work in areas with limited resources.
Desert countries are always in turmoil and require tough government rule.
 

shadow9d9

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2004
8,132
2
0
Democracy does not work in the Middle East. you need someone like hussein to keep things in check. Dictatorships under fear of death is the only form of governments that work in those countries. We are the morons thinking they want our way of life.

Democracy doesn't work here either. We'd still have slavery without a representative republic.
 

Lemon law

Lifer
Nov 6, 2005
20,984
3
0
Democracy does not work in the Middle East. you need someone like hussein to keep things in check. Dictatorships under fear of death is the only form of governments that work in those countries. We are the morons thinking they want our way of life.
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What a pile of manure, Turkey has had a secular democracy up and running for 80 years of more. Iran, is structured democratically also, but has an top layer of Mullah theocracy that can veto any ruling of a secular democracy. That makes Iran not totally democratic, but still, clerics seldom dictate Iranian government policy.

As Drax also ignores the Arab spring movement that has thus transformed mid-east progressive thinking.
 

EagleKeeper

Discussion Club Moderator<br>Elite Member
Staff member
Oct 30, 2000
42,589
5
0
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What a pile of manure, Turkey has had a secular democracy up and running for 80 years of more. Iran, is structured democratically also, but has an top layer of Mullah theocracy that can veto any ruling of a secular democracy. That makes Iran not totally democratic, but still, clerics seldom dictate Iranian government policy.

As Drax also ignores the Arab spring movement that has thus transformed mid-east progressive thinking.

If one has an automatic override veto; then and decisions below it are at the approval of those that control the veto. Not democratic except in an illusion.

And we are seeing how well the Arab spring is doing:
  • Egypt - Replace a figurehead using military control with just military control
  • Libya - required complete military intervention to allow the uprising
  • Syria - pushing 4K dead and no one is batting a finger
  • Tunisia - questionable - people are still waiting for what the government is actually going to do - it has been 1 year.
  • Yemen - power transfer deal is not satisfying to the population
Democracy only when it is makes certain groups look good.
 

lothar

Diamond Member
Jan 5, 2000
6,674
7
76
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What a pile of manure, Turkey has had a secular democracy up and running for 80 years of more. Iran, is structured democratically also, but has an top layer of Mullah theocracy that can veto any ruling of a secular democracy. That makes Iran not totally democratic, but still, clerics seldom dictate Iranian government policy.

As Drax also ignores the Arab spring movement that has thus transformed mid-east progressive thinking.
You can't possibly be serious...
You obviously have no clue about how Iran is run.

The only thing I've seen so far is the Arab spring movement brought more radical nationalists. Egypt, Libya, (and hell even Iraq was more progressive than it is now before we got there) are less progressive.
Hardly what I would call "progressive thinking".

Equating the Arab spring movement to "progressive thinking" is as foolish as equating Russia's democracy as such.
When these Islamist rebels allow freedom of religion, allow women to drive a car, allow women to hold major positions in government, and such, I will subscribe to your "progressive thinking" theory.
 

JS80

Lifer
Oct 24, 2005
26,271
7
81
obamathankyou.jpg
 

woolfe9999

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2005
7,153
0
0
We were asked to leave. We took our give a damn with us.

Yeah sure, but the trouble is that installing and maintaining democracy there is the only reason we were there to begin with. Or at least, that was the only quasi legitimate reason given. There were no WMD's. So we spend a trillion dollars and thousands of American lives only to have it return to dictatorship that it was before? Fine, don't give a shit, but that only proves Bush's mission a 100&#37; total failure.
 

werepossum

Elite Member
Jul 10, 2006
29,873
463
126
We were asked to leave. We took our give a damn with us.
LOL +1

If one has an automatic override veto; then and decisions below it are at the approval of those that control the veto. Not democratic except in an illusion.

And we are seeing how well the Arab spring is doing:
  • Egypt - Replace a figurehead using military control with just military control
  • Libya - required complete military intervention to allow the uprising
  • Syria - pushing 4K dead and no one is batting a finger
  • Tunisia - questionable - people are still waiting for what the government is actually going to do - it has been 1 year.
  • Yemen - power transfer deal is not satisfying to the population
Democracy only when it is makes certain groups look good.
Agreed, but I think it's too early to say that Arab Muslims cannot maintain a democracy. As far as Iranian democracy . . . "You can vote for the Ayatollah's left hand or the Ayatollah's right hand, but either way he's gonna slap the crap out of you when you get out of line. Or when you get uppity. Or when he's had a bad day." Too damned bad, when they aren't crushed under fundamentalist Islam they're some damned bright people.

LOL I can't imagine Bush invading Syria though; I'm not even sure he would have done what Obama did in Libya. Afghanistan was openly sheltering the very group that murdered 3,000 Americans, and we were technically still at war with Iraq and had some justification.
 

Lemon law

Lifer
Nov 6, 2005
20,984
3
0
The other thing Drax forgets, is that Iraq is simply a country that never should have been.
Formed in some post WW1 British map room out of the left over bits of a defunct Ottoman empire. As Iraq consisting of 3 main ethnic groups, namely Shia, Sunni, and Kurds that had no common interests with each other. And worst yet built upside down in terms of their neighbors. As a totally Sunni Saudi Arabia looks north and sees Iraqi Shia dominance in the Iraqi South, with Sunnis formerly dominant in the center look east and see mainly Shia Iran, and Shia ethnic cleansing. As the Kurd's in the north would like a divorce, but its going to be over Turkey's dead body.

And then we have to look at the USA who gave Lord Cornwallis and the Brits the ole heave ho in 1781, and then took another 11 years before electing our first President.

Yet we now want instant gratification and want to pass a final judgment on the events of the Arab Spring in a mere six months?

As they say, Rome was not built in a day and it did not fall in a day. Lots of smarts and stupidity occurred between that old fairly tale of once upon a time and the final conclusion that they did not live happily ever after.
 
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