The most fundamental coginitive dissonance in how the Bush Administration sees (as opposed to talks about) the world is on the question of democracy. Realpolitik says that democracy-lovers are a bunch of wimpy goo-goos (good goverment types). I believe, as does an NYT editorial today, that “Terrorism will retreat where democracy advances, not where autocrats muzzle political expression or buy peace at home by financing violence abroad.” That is, supporting democracy is, counter-intuitively, the essence of real-politik, and that American interests and security will never be assured until the whole world consists solely of democracies.
{ 2002 09 01 }
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