Gary Bass Quotes
Confronting nondemocracies, established democracies area about as warlike as normal dictatorships.
Gary Bass, Political Scientist, “Are Democracies Really More Peaceful?” New York Times Magazine, January 1, 2006
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65 years later, this would become a major principle of conservatives, but it was a liberal President who seemed first to make this statement in a major address.
Neville Chamberlain is viewed in Britain as one of the worst appeasers of all time. He refused to fulfill the obligations of Great Britain when Hitler invaded parts of Europe. He appeased Hitler because he wanted to avoid war and is a historical icon of a person who would do anything to avoid war.
The veracity depends on how one defines a democracy. Serbia attacked Croatia and Bosnia—all fledgling democracies. Argentina, claiming to be a democracy, attacked England by invading the Falkland Islands. Hitler was elected in Germany in a free and fair election, and once they started their aggressive war Germany became a Fascist Dictatorship. What appears to be the case is that stable industrial democracies never make war on each other.
There was no semblance of democracy on Zaire. When he was more candid, Mobutu opposed democracy for Africa. See {628027}.
Wolfe uses the term in the classic sense of appeasing Hitler or Stalin—appeasement of a powerful totalitarian force. However some politicians—usually at the extreme wings of the political spectrum—see any concession to political opponents as “appeasement”. Some, like the Tea Party Republicans of that era, regard any compromise as “appeasement”.
Referring to the Erdogan government of Turkey. That country elected Erdogan who then turned his back on the Ataturk inspired democracy and instituted many non-democratic policies and practices including jailing civil servants, teachers and journalists who publicly criticize the president or the government.
Gary D. Bass is the executive director of the Bauman Foundation, and founder and former executive director of OMB Watch.
