"The world has more democracies than ever before. But they are home grown - they have not been imposed from the outside. This suggests that the American neo-conservative dream of exporting democracy to Iraq is doomed to failure."

You forgot Japan.

I'm assuming that jrm is referring to the enforced democratisation of Japan by the allied forces. I think there's a suggestion that the Japan experience proves that there is a flaw in the writer's argument.

My view is that you could also say that Germany and Italy are similar examples. Its true that democracy was forced on these countries but 60 years ago the world was very different. People as individuals were very naive and furthermore the world was traumatised by war. Consequently people were ready to accept almost any new order if there was hope that it would take them out of their shock and misery.

The US attempt to democratise Vietnam was a failure largely because the people opposing democracy were peasant class and had no ambition to move to a democracy. It seems that Iraq could meet a similar fate. Even if insurgents there are defeated, the will always be enclaves that wil cause trouble for decades along the lines of Northern Ireland.

In these modern day guerilla tactics with access to a plentiful supoply of explosives (much of it given or carelessly left lying about by US military) terrorism can hold out against the might of US bombs.

What was able to be achieved 60 years ago with the imposition of a democracy can no longer be achieved.

The American politicians unfortunately never think beyond the next election and show very little inclination to think things through on a global basis

Their middle east policies over the past 50 years have vreated the animosity of muslims and I'm afraid that current US policies are not going to undo the damage needed to end world terrorism.

The push for "homegrown" democracy has to depend upon the way that the populace see their rulers. It was easier for Italians and Germans to suffer the outside influence because their leaders had let them down, not only losing the war, but more importantly the restrictive and totalitarian way in which they were treated. They may have harboured resentments about the Allies, but possibly they resented the Fascists a whole lot more.

As for American democracy it hasn't changed all that much in Afghanistan. After all, it's not only political change and influence, is it?
There's that great big question of religion.