'Freedom' anybody ? or are you just happy with the steak 'n' eggs ?
There is some random quote that I can't quite accurately remember and that is supposedly attributed to some (Nazi) Minister of Information of Germany during world war II :
"Every time I hear the word 'Knowlege' I reach down to feel my gun." (for anybody who knows the actual quote: please let me know what the precise version is !)
This is my reaction every time I hear President Bush mention the word: 'Freedom.' Even though I don't have a gun, and have never touched one, so I certainly don't reach down.
I don't know whether it's my fault or his, but I really think the word has become rather 'uncool' ever since Bush started mentioning it as an excuse for going to war.
Now, before getting into this, I need to assert the fact that, personally speaking, I think that the western system of democracy is way better than any other system that currently exists in the third world; be it a theocracy, autocracy or pure dictatorship. That being said, I really don't think this opinion is being shared by the overwhelming majority of people in the middle-east as general and by Iraqis in specific.
I think that it takes a country several significant stages to finally reach the commonly Western-agreed-upon-Eutopian concept of 'democracy'. To many people, especially in tribal and rural regions, there are moral concepts and laws that take no back seat to 'Democracy' as defined by the West. For example, in Iraq, tribal hierarchy is definetly more respected in rural areas than democracy or the abstract notion of 'Freedom'. People, especially in the West, tend to forget the fact that, even though the freedom is great, security and financial prosperity are, in some middle-eastern countries, more important than 'Freedom'.
Take Kuwait for example. This is a rich country, with more expatriate workers than natives, that still had a monarch who rules the country. They are the total oppposite of democracy, but at the same you don't hear them complain about it. Why ? Simply because, in a layman's terms, with most people earning enough to keep 'em happy, they're not worried about having a say in the country's politics.
Freedom is great; there is no question about that. But I guess before invading a country, Bush, or whoever the Enforcer of Freedom might be, shoud ask himself this question: "Would you rather have elections and at the same time face some hazards such as being mugged or bombed while you're walking down the street ? or would you rather live in an autocracy which guarantees you safety and freedom of worship as long as you don't show any signs of dissent towards the ruling regime that is a Dictatorship ?"
Freedom, again, is geat, but the question is do people want it ? And if they do, is it the same version of Freedom and democracy that is being revered by the Western world ?
I'm just wondering..
"Every time I hear the word 'Knowlege' I reach down to feel my gun." (for anybody who knows the actual quote: please let me know what the precise version is !)
This is my reaction every time I hear President Bush mention the word: 'Freedom.' Even though I don't have a gun, and have never touched one, so I certainly don't reach down.
I don't know whether it's my fault or his, but I really think the word has become rather 'uncool' ever since Bush started mentioning it as an excuse for going to war.
Now, before getting into this, I need to assert the fact that, personally speaking, I think that the western system of democracy is way better than any other system that currently exists in the third world; be it a theocracy, autocracy or pure dictatorship. That being said, I really don't think this opinion is being shared by the overwhelming majority of people in the middle-east as general and by Iraqis in specific.
I think that it takes a country several significant stages to finally reach the commonly Western-agreed-upon-Eutopian concept of 'democracy'. To many people, especially in tribal and rural regions, there are moral concepts and laws that take no back seat to 'Democracy' as defined by the West. For example, in Iraq, tribal hierarchy is definetly more respected in rural areas than democracy or the abstract notion of 'Freedom'. People, especially in the West, tend to forget the fact that, even though the freedom is great, security and financial prosperity are, in some middle-eastern countries, more important than 'Freedom'.
Take Kuwait for example. This is a rich country, with more expatriate workers than natives, that still had a monarch who rules the country. They are the total oppposite of democracy, but at the same you don't hear them complain about it. Why ? Simply because, in a layman's terms, with most people earning enough to keep 'em happy, they're not worried about having a say in the country's politics.
Freedom is great; there is no question about that. But I guess before invading a country, Bush, or whoever the Enforcer of Freedom might be, shoud ask himself this question: "Would you rather have elections and at the same time face some hazards such as being mugged or bombed while you're walking down the street ? or would you rather live in an autocracy which guarantees you safety and freedom of worship as long as you don't show any signs of dissent towards the ruling regime that is a Dictatorship ?"
Freedom, again, is geat, but the question is do people want it ? And if they do, is it the same version of Freedom and democracy that is being revered by the Western world ?
I'm just wondering..
posted by Mourad at 2:55 AM
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