General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: For all the cheerleaders who thought overthrowing Qaddafi was such a great idea [View all]pampango
(24,692 posts)It is easy for people in the West to tell Libyans that they have to live under a dictator because :
1) You don't know how to run a democracy;
I know. The French, the Russians and many others did not get democracies after their revolutions.
2) The way the West drew national borders means that groups who don't particularly like each other are in the same country.
Therefore, you need a strong dictator to keep the country together to keep you from fighting with each other;
If the required dictator has to use a little domestic terrorism (midnight arrests, torture and summary execution) to preserve his power, you just have to live with that.
3) Do not for a second think that Americans will accept what we urge you to accept. We try to fight for our rights and a more functional democracy. We urge you not to do the same.