This House believes democracy can be built as a result of interventions
Whether it takes the form of imperialism or the neoconservative movement, democratic countries have long seen it in their duty to “civilize” and “democratize” the countries that remain autocracies, dictatorships, monarchies, and communist regimes. While promoting freedom, justice, respect of law, and democracy seem like fair and worthwhile goals, they come at a price which has called into question the methods of democracy promotion. The West often justifies interventions, usually military, with freedom and democracy—ultimately the pain and bloodshed will be outweighed by the beauty of freedom. Part of the tension is that these intervening nations feel that they are right, and everyone else is wrong, which is not necessarily the case. Pushing Western ideals on other countries, particularly through war, is not undeniably just. Further, these interventions sometimes fail and many question whether democracy can come from war and violence. This debate focuses on the practicality of the matter: can interventions lead to functioning democracies? The cases of Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Libya will be particularly telling and pertinent. Just because it was successful or failed in one case, does not prove or disprove the entire argument, the larger trends and back story need also be analyzed.
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