Why do we feel the need to make other countries, such as Iraq, just like ours?

Question

Before you answer (and without the "we'd blow em out of the sky" bravado), think about if another country started a war here and sent tens of thousands of troops here because they felt our leadership was wrong. Just because we believe in democracy, is it acceptable for us to force that belief on another country steeped in thousands of years of tradition?

Answer 1

Amen. I have no problem using the brave men and women in our military to kick the crap out of a country or religious sect who attacks us, but until they do, you stay out of our business, we'll stay out of yours.

Answer 2

No, it's never right to force anyone on anything. That's the opposite of freedom. Still, if you compare conditions under Saddam I fail to see how what we provide will ultimately be worse. We had no obligation to free them.

There are many that hate the leadership of the US, and provided they were treated well I'm sure they wouldn't mind and might possibly assist an invading army to topple the US government (note that I am not one of them). Similar people exist in Iraq as well.

Also, the spread of western ideas is popular with Middle Easterners who have experienced them firsthand. Middle Eastern governments opposed to western freedom seek to clamp down on this. One way they do is by demonizing our government through propaganda. Many people will ignorantly believe this, and I think it's worthwhile to provide an example of what our government is like so people can judge for themselves.

Still, none of my opinions serve as an excuse for enforcing democracy with a gun.

Answer 3

I don't agree with the premise of your question. The US liberated Iraq and Afghanistan. Those were good things. The US encouraged the people of those two countries to vote and form their own governments. Freedom of choice should be everyone's right.
In the US we don't have a democracy. It is a representative republic. I think you should take a brush up course in Civics.

Answer 4

our government doesn't want to make them just like us. at all. that's just marketing. they are depending upon an extremely unstable middle east. do you really think that they're trying to create a strong, stable, rich, powerful iraq? why would they want that? how can they say they are trying to "help" the muslim part of the world be strong and powerful with a straight face? they want the oil, and the people are irrelevant to them. (and so are we).

our government is doing it's best to ruin our democracy. actually. greed is more powerful than anything.

Answer 5

Hey I don't like us up in there either, plus the Iraqis dont exactly dig democracy just the same, but I think its resultant for the winning formula for our type of gov't since 1783 and I think we're kind of fans of it so much so that we try to introduce it to other countries.

Answer 6

I guess I'm a conservative, because traditional conservative view was that America shouldn't police the world. When GW's grandfather Prescott was against WWII, the Republican party in general was anti-war.

Answer 7

We are the world's bully,and we just send our troops in to get what we want,all under the name of "we're liberating them",nonsense!

Answer 8

One word: Ethnocentric

Answer 9

Ask yourself that same question about Afghanistan. I don't hear anybody complaining about us doing it there.

Answer 10

well its like everything else in this world the one with the bigger stick is the winner its not right but it true!!