Quote Originally Posted by HopAlongBunny View Post
I think Banquo's Ghost sums up the situation quite well.

Installing a Western style democracy would probably involve eliminating the Taliban; "neutralizing" the present warlords...and their clique...to the 3rd generation; imposing the "rule of law" through martial law (at least initially); finally getting the remaining ppl to agree that all of the above was a swell idea and for their good really...

Of course the above prescription ignores any thought of the legitimacy of the regime in the eyes of the ppl it was imposed upon. We can work that out over time...(return to beginning of process)
What gives us the right to do that? Considering the massive effort involved there are many other countries who'se problems are tiny in comparison and the money would be better spent removing corruption, improving facilities, siting clinics etc etc - all the same things, without the fighting and the bombing - and genuinely wanted by the locals!

When the rest of the world is a Utopia, then we can try to sort out the willfully backward, barbaric corrupt dumps.