Democracy is right but invasion to install democracy in authoritarian regimes are wrong.
Invasions are idealistic. In a hypothetical situation, the plan would be to send a military force to country X to firstly, topple the regime and then secondly, oversee the introduction of free and fair elections. Both these hurdles are insurmountable. The first aim is difficult: regimes under Gaddafi and Mugabe are well-planted. After possibly decades in power, the regime often command the loyalty of the army and are able to put a bloody resistance. Even if the leader is removed, no doubt his cronies will replace him.
The second aim is even more difficult (if you manage to even get to that stage): removing an authoritarian regime by force creates a power vacuum. If the authoritarian regime has been in power for decades (as is often the case), the country has no experience of democracy. Political parties are non-existent and there are few established leaders. The result? Civil war. Competing factions emerge giving rise to insurgency, and guess what, more bloodshed. This is a lose-lose situation; democracy is not effectively installed and lives are lost. Even if democracy were installed, is it really worth the cost of thousands of lost lives?
Invasions are idealistic. In a hypothetical situation, the plan would be to send a military force to country X to firstly, topple the regime and then secondly, oversee the introduction of free and fair elections. Both these hurdles are insurmountable. The first aim is difficult: regimes under Gaddafi and Mugabe are well-planted. After possibly decades in power, the regime often command the loyalty of the army and are able to put a bloody resistance. Even if the leader is removed, no doubt his cronies will replace him.
The second aim is even more difficult (if you manage to even get to that stage): removing an authoritarian regime by force creates a power vacuum. If the authoritarian regime has been in power for decades (as is often the case), the country has no experience of democracy. Political parties are non-existent and there are few established leaders. The result? Civil war. Competing factions emerge giving rise to insurgency, and guess what, more bloodshed. This is a lose-lose situation; democracy is not effectively installed and lives are lost. Even if democracy were installed, is it really worth the cost of thousands of lost lives?
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