Another thought-provoking article, Bill. The last few paragraphs remind me of George F. Kennan's advice about how to fight communism at the beginning of the Cold War in "The Long Telegram":
3. Much depends on health and vigor of our own society. World communism is like malignant
parasite which feeds only on diseased tissue. This is the point at which domestic and foreign
policies meet. Every courageous and incisive measure to solve internal problems of our own
society, to improve self-confidence, discipline, morale, and community spirit of our own people,
is a diplomatic victory over Moscow worth a thousand diplomatic notes and joint communiqués.
If we cannot abandon fatalism and indifference in face of deficiencies of our own society, Moscow
will profit - Moscow cannot help profiting by them in its foreign policies.
4. We must formulate and put forward for other nations a much more positive and constructive
picture of the sort of world we would like to see than we have put forward in the past. It is not
enough to urge the people to develop political processes similar to our own. Many foreign peoples,
in Europe at least, are tired and frightened by experiences of the past, and are less interested in
abstract freedom than in security. They are seeking guidance rather than responsibilities. We
should be better able than the Russians to give them this. And unless we do, the Russians certainly
will.
5. Finally, we must have courage and self-confidence to cling to our own methods and conceptions
of human society. After all, the greatest danger that can befall us in coping with this problem of
Soviet communism is that we shall allow ourselves to become like those with whom we are coping.
If we want to 'sell democracy' to the rest of the world, we need to show the rest of the world that it works in America. If democratic capitalism can produce a happy/healthy society in the United States, then that's what will make it appealing to the rest of the world. Democratic capitalism is not appealing to the rest of the world if it's not working in America, and also if we're trying to force it upon other countries (ex. Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc.). We show them that it works and allow them to decide for themselves if they want to adopt it in their own nations.
I prefer the term (to reflect reality in the US) plutocracy to democracy. In a true democracy, elections would be financed (as in some Western European democracies). In the US, money buys votes. Of course, money is a necessary condition without it being a sufficient condition. Otherwise, Michael Bloomberg would be president today.
Another thought-provoking article, Bill. The last few paragraphs remind me of George F. Kennan's advice about how to fight communism at the beginning of the Cold War in "The Long Telegram":
3. Much depends on health and vigor of our own society. World communism is like malignant
parasite which feeds only on diseased tissue. This is the point at which domestic and foreign
policies meet. Every courageous and incisive measure to solve internal problems of our own
society, to improve self-confidence, discipline, morale, and community spirit of our own people,
is a diplomatic victory over Moscow worth a thousand diplomatic notes and joint communiqués.
If we cannot abandon fatalism and indifference in face of deficiencies of our own society, Moscow
will profit - Moscow cannot help profiting by them in its foreign policies.
4. We must formulate and put forward for other nations a much more positive and constructive
picture of the sort of world we would like to see than we have put forward in the past. It is not
enough to urge the people to develop political processes similar to our own. Many foreign peoples,
in Europe at least, are tired and frightened by experiences of the past, and are less interested in
abstract freedom than in security. They are seeking guidance rather than responsibilities. We
should be better able than the Russians to give them this. And unless we do, the Russians certainly
will.
5. Finally, we must have courage and self-confidence to cling to our own methods and conceptions
of human society. After all, the greatest danger that can befall us in coping with this problem of
Soviet communism is that we shall allow ourselves to become like those with whom we are coping.
If we want to 'sell democracy' to the rest of the world, we need to show the rest of the world that it works in America. If democratic capitalism can produce a happy/healthy society in the United States, then that's what will make it appealing to the rest of the world. Democratic capitalism is not appealing to the rest of the world if it's not working in America, and also if we're trying to force it upon other countries (ex. Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc.). We show them that it works and allow them to decide for themselves if they want to adopt it in their own nations.
As true now as it was then
I prefer the term (to reflect reality in the US) plutocracy to democracy. In a true democracy, elections would be financed (as in some Western European democracies). In the US, money buys votes. Of course, money is a necessary condition without it being a sufficient condition. Otherwise, Michael Bloomberg would be president today.