Democracy is merely the means

Submitted by Charles Gruenspan (United States), Dec 6, 2006 at 15:30

The mission in Iraq has never been primarily about WMD. That was just a politically correct pretext. Getting rid of Saddam Hussein was also just a beneficial byproduct of the primary mission, which is to effect reform in the way Islam is being preached and taught to justify terrorism. Under dictatorial control of the media, schools, and all other important institutions, which is pervasive in the Muslim world, such reform is virtually impossible. Opposing voices are simply slaughtered.

Inherent in democracy are the freedoms of press and speech. It allows the voices of moderation and modernization the opportunity to get their message out with less fear of retribution. The only other alternative would be to replace pro-terror dictators with anti-terror dictators. That approach, which was previously tried, in effect, in Iran with the Shah, can work for a while, but has problems in the long run. Democracy, probably works better in the long run, but requires time to take hold. The Iraq experiment can still work, but it will take more time and willpower to find out. Are there any other alternatives?

Charles Gruenspan

Cleveland, Ohio

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