06 March 2011
Meritocratic Authoritarianism
David Brooks’ March 4, 2011 NYT article criticizing the Samuel P. Huntington’s thesis in Clash of Civilizations that Islamic societies are incompatible with liberal democracy has a valid point as far as it goes. As it turns out, however, it's much easier, with social media, to overthrow a regime than to replace one. Let's see what the Egyptians and Tunisians come up with
In Egypt, the military is a pretty representative organization in which the smartest individuals rise to the top. They have never shied from expanding their activities beyond fighting wars. My bet there is that the result of recent events will be an authoritarian military directorate. In any case, it won't be a digital Jeffersonian democracy.
David Brooks’ March 4, 2011 NYT article criticizing the Samuel P. Huntington’s thesis in Clash of Civilizations that Islamic societies are incompatible with liberal democracy has a valid point as far as it goes. As it turns out, however, it's much easier, with social media, to overthrow a regime than to replace one. Let's see what the Egyptians and Tunisians come up with
In Egypt, the military is a pretty representative organization in which the smartest individuals rise to the top. They have never shied from expanding their activities beyond fighting wars. My bet there is that the result of recent events will be an authoritarian military directorate. In any case, it won't be a digital Jeffersonian democracy.
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