In the end, Iraq might not want democracy
Bush administration officials have played down the anti-American demonstrations in Iraq, saying, "Isn't it wonderful that the Iraqis now have the freedom to demonstrate publicly." But freedom appears to be, at best, a highly suspect commodity in a country where people long have been kept in bondage.
In his 1951 book, "The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements," Eric Hoffer observes that for freed slaves "it is the burden of freedom which is at the root of their discontent." Hoffer goes on to say that "freedom aggravates at least as much as it alleviates frustration" and that the suddenly newly freed make the best converts for all forms of fanaticism.
He quotes a young German's motivation for joining the Nazis: "To be free from freedom."
Bush administration officials have played down the anti-American demonstrations in Iraq, saying, "Isn't it wonderful that the Iraqis now have the freedom to demonstrate publicly." But freedom appears to be, at best, a highly suspect commodity in a country where people long have been kept in bondage.
In his 1951 book, "The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements," Eric Hoffer observes that for freed slaves "it is the burden of freedom which is at the root of their discontent." Hoffer goes on to say that "freedom aggravates at least as much as it alleviates frustration" and that the suddenly newly freed make the best converts for all forms of fanaticism.
He quotes a young German's motivation for joining the Nazis: "To be free from freedom."
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