Dear Aidan.

Well, straw man or not, the Republicans are fighting a brilliant rear guard action at the moment, against the determined, fraught and panicky Democrats.

What is truth Aidan? If people demand a lie, a good politician will certainly dish it up.
Plenty of evidence of that left and right, try to be real!

And yes you’re correct on my wish for a destabilised US. How many civil wars did the aRomans notch up.
I can see the US heading quickly in that direction. A civil war is much more effective at clearing out the dead wood, and arriving at a seriously Democratic outcome for the people.

The US could churn out a few left wing arty type hooligans like Solzhenitsyn in US disguise, and send him to Russia to soften up their regime.

Now finally I’ll address Erdogan.
It amazes me how so many people judge him in terms of sophistication.
What is Turkey but a Lebanon on the more wealthy side of the rails.
I think you expect too much.

And personally I’m impressed, even as a Christian, at his ability to memorise the totality of the Koran. Why not some praise for dedication?

I thought this article was a little bland, not much depth.

"President Erdogan's major achievement was to keep the country stable and the morale of the people high during the terrible earthquake of February 2023."
- Personally I thought it was a slow and poor response and I thought it may in fact cost him the election, and it probably almost did.

Diver Dan,
I'm not sure even a civil war would do the US much good.
- I think their problems are a lot bigger than that.

The Romans managed to muddle on through Civil wars and still control their Empire.

Looks to me something along those lines is in progress.

Posted by Aidan-

Only superficially. Not all fascists are the same, and there are significant advantages to having democracy if you think you can control it.

I'm not saying those communists are right. But this is really not a good counterexample.

Answer-

Democracy isn't always democratic or in the interest of the demos/ people. Sometimes the people don't know what they want or what is good for them. Sometimes the people just want the leaders to get on with governing. But people need to have a way of stopping leaders from doing stupid things. Balance.

Often to achieve goals a hierarchical command and control system.

Perhaps communists are more totalitarian than anyone. Think of the highway systems and other infrastructure created in Soviet Russia under unimaginable conditions under the Gulag system and Stalin. Documented by Solzhenitsyn in novel "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich".

Sad to think it would have been much worse under Leon Trotsky and that many of the contemporary Socialist groups see Uncle Leon as a hero.

Good to see that Aidan isn't a fan of the Communists

It's interesting that many commenters claim not to be communist but seem to have communist philosophy. Not saying that Aidan is necessarily one of them.