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Originally Posted by xepherys
Hmmm, Iraq had an "elected" government. I wonder why we didn't just support Saddam. *sigh* Democracy is more than an election.
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Yes, I think most people understand that. Saddam, elected by 99.9% or whatever, didn't constitute democracy. Iran, with actual elections is not as democratic as some countries, but there is no doubt that the election of their latest President reflects to some reasonable degree the real will of the Iranian citizens, and as such, despite the issues of irregularities and limited candidacy (don't forget those are issues in America too), I would have to say that Iran is more democratic than most Americans give it credit for. Not that this isn't understandable; Americans are raised to believe in the sanctity of Democracy (not that all believe it), and so the idea that such a different nation as Iran, a proclaimed member of the Axis of Evil, who considers the US a prime opponent (a feeling that is reciprocated), could also be a democracy is hard to comprehend.