yup, we need a brutal strongman type back in charge in Iraq

[AngryAmish]

27. I don't think that their idea of democracy is the same as our idea of democracy

Look at Egypt. They recently had a pretty much fair and open election and the Muslim Brotherhood won. The the Brotherhood started changing the constitution and judiciary to make sure they never lost again. The military took over because they were getting squeezed out and the bureaucracy did not help because they were getting squeezed by the Brotherhood. ONe man, one vote, one time is the order of the day there. People living in repressive regimes mostly want elections because they want someone on their side in charge. The tribal mindset is much more powerful than in the West.

Muslim countries never had an Enlightenment. Us Westerners did. They have fundamentally different ways of thinking about the world than we do. These Enlightenment ideas - all men being equal and all that - are not really represented in the minds of most of the Muslim middle east. Family, then tribe then co-religionists then country. Westerners miss all that. They don't get how tribal most of the middle east (and quite frankly the world) is in mindset. Also keep in mind you are hearing from the most educated, pro-western middle easterners. They tell us what they think we want to hear.

We should not be installing dictators. We should not be installing democracies. We should be looking after our interests and let them live their lives.