Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/3/84; site teddy.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!talcott!panda!teddy!lkk From: lkk@teddy.UUCP Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: More Thoughts On America Bashing Message-ID: <1104@teddy.UUCP> Date: Tue, 6-Aug-85 13:25:55 EDT Article-I.D.: teddy.1104 Posted: Tue Aug 6 13:25:55 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 9-Aug-85 02:14:13 EDT References: <421@iham1.UUCP> Reply-To: lkk@teddy.UUCP (Larry K. Kolodney) Distribution: net Organization: GenRad, Inc., Concord, Mass. Lines: 40 In article <421@iham1.UUCP> cbd@iham1.UUCP (deitrick) writes: >I can already feel the heat of the flames for this, but it's an important >point and I can't pass this up. > >What makes anyone think that the rest of the world wants or even cares about >democracy? As far as I can tell, democracy is practiced only by the countries >in Europe or countries with strong European influence in their history How many countries HAVEN'T had a strong european influence in their history? > [More examples of how European style govt. is irrelevant to the inhabitants of many third world countries.] Well, Carl, you may be surprised that I'm in essential agreement with you. Much of the conflict in the third world is due to arbitrary boundaries imposed by Colonialists. And we SHOULDN'T be trying to impose anything on anybody. HOWEVER, I still maintain that the extremism of many revolutionary groups is due to U.S. intervention (economic and political) in small countries. I suggested that we weren't helping democracy in the third world. Perhaps that was a poor choice of words. We aren't helping HUMAN RIGHTS in the third world. This is a concept that, in my view, should trancend cultural boundaries. The right not to be tortured is universal. We shouldn't be imposing 'humane' governments on other countries. But we shouldn't be instigating conditions which are noxious to such systems either. -- Sport Death, Larry Kolodney (USENET) ...decvax!genrad!teddy!lkk (INTERNET) lkk@mit-mc.arpa