Popular democratic governments are a danger to the world

Sparta was dangerous only to those under its control. Unlike Athens it was not an expansionist power. When Alexander united the Greeks to follow him in his conquests in Asia and Africa Sparta was one of the few Greek city-states that did not join in.

Eventually the successful militarism of Athens meant the demise of democracy. Empire meant restrictions on political freedom, and military leaders used demagogic tactics to gain political office. Athenian democracy became a historical curiosity.

The Life and Death of Democracy by John Keane is a history of democracy through the ages. Keane contends that Athenian democracy was inspired by earlier democracies in Asia. This is important as it indicates that democracy is a form of government that is adaptable to different cultures. The people of what is now called Iraq where we are supposedly encouraging democracy may have originated it.

Popular non-democratic governments may also be a danger to world peace. Nazi Germany was immensely popular with Germans of the period. One reason the Nazis took power was the unpopularity of the democratic Weimar Republic. However, that is outside of the scope of this essay.

There is a myth currently promulgated that democratic governments do not go to war with each other. The bloodiest war in terms of US casualties the United States has ever fought was with the democratic Confederacy. Like Athens it was a slave democracy. In World War II democratic Finland was an ally of Nazi Germany.

Popular democratic governments generate intense loyalties. With a large part of the population well-educated and productively engaged they create great wealth. With that wealth they can support a powerful military establishment. The military is not needed to control the country and can be sent into action with the justification of spreading freedom.

Possibly the first example of this in the modern era was when Napoleon roused many to fight for him in the name of spreading the ideals of the French Revolution.

Bush government propaganda labeled the invasion of Iraq on March 20, 2003 “Operation Iraqi Freedom”.

Generally these operations do not contribute to the promulgation of freedom.

Popular democratic governments are good places to live for most citizens of such entities. Popular democratic governments have the citizenry and wealth to man and supply dedicated and efficient military establishments. Not needing those military establishments to control their population they can export the military. Such exports constitute a danger to the rest of the world. If there is not a real enemy they create one by declaring war on drugs, terror or other abstractions.

The formation of the European Union may indicate a solution to the problem

Horrified by the consequences of extreme forms of nationalism that had devastated the continent, the governments of the European nations moved toward integration. The European Coal and Steel Community, which, while having the modest aim of centralised control of the previously national coal and steel industries of its Member States, was declared to be "a first step in the federation of Europe".