This whole article is an argument for creating better political terminology. The words democracy, pluralism, secularization, republicanism, constitutionism, the open society, etc. are so lame. We need a term like "liberia" (my choice) or "libertaria" to compete with the mostly misleading, useless, counter-productive term "democracy." Something that unambiguously and even abrasively says FREEDOM.
As for
"...Stephen Kinzer writes in "Clouds Over Iran," in the current issue of The New York Review of Books:
"One of my Iranian friends, a graduate student in his twenties, recently wrote this to me: "The US government is helping Iran's government with its continuing hostility.... Every time the State Department or White House speaks about human rights conditions in Iran, our government uses this against reformers. It says that reformers are supported by the United States. Many reformers are in jail because of these accusations. Many newspapers have been closed. The United States should be concerned about Iran's problems, but this policy is hurting the reform movement. Non-intervention is the best help the United States can give to Iran's people."
Natan Sharansky couldn't disagree more. When Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union an "empire of evil" all the political prisoners in his prison were instantly euphoric. Sharansky considers an "aggressive" foreign policy essential to liberalizing the planet.
(By the way, Chris: When are going to get around to reviewing/analyzing the 5-month-old book 'The Case for Democracy' by Sharansky? The liberal world (as I define it) ~needs~ your views on this -- never mind that ARI, TOC, SOLO, etc. have dropped the ball here.)
by Andre Zantonavitch on March 12, 2005 at 8:27 AM