Quote:
Originally Posted by suitedjustice
Let's not give the US too much credit for fostering a democracy in Taiwan. We've had a lot more failures on that front than successes. A country only throws off its authoritarian yolk when its people are prepared to sacrifice themselves for that cause, and that sacrifice is only a necessary component for democracy, not a sufficient one. They still have to best and get rid of the bad guys, and then resist the insidious momentum to become the bad guys once they get hold of the power.
That's a fair point. But it would lead to the bigger question whether there are really people/nations/ethnicities who are better in fostering democracies than others. I would argue that it's mostly random, and has a lot to do with individuals who emerge as leaders and what kind of ideas they have. It also has to do with economics and other areas. Taiwan/China would be a good example here as you have two countries of largely the same ethnicity and cultural background that went a completely different path. I am ignoring ethnic minorities here but you have them both in Taiwan and the mainland.
