Pope Criticises West For Trying To Export Own Brand Of Democracy To Iraq, Libya

[Purveyor]

Source: Reuters

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis criticised Western powers for trying to export their own brand of democracy to countries such as Iraq and Libya without respecting indigenous political cultures, according to an interview published on Monday.

Speaking to France's Roman Catholic newspaper, La Croix, Francis also said Europe should better integrate migrants and praised the election of the new Muslim mayor of London as an example of where this had been successful.

"Faced with current Islamist terrorism, we should question the way a model of democracy that was too Western was exported to countries where there was a strong power, as in Iraq, or Libya, where there was a tribal structure," he said.

"We cannot advance without taking these cultures into account," the pope said.

"As a Libyan said recently, 'We used to have one Gaddafi, now we have fifty", Francis said in reference to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who was deposed and killed in 2011.

Read more: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/pope-criticises-west-trying-export-own-brand-democracy-082621917.html

[jtuck004]

1. Ours is better. They should comply. n/t

[jtuck004]

5. Ramadi was a city of about a million people, much like us.

This was Ramadi when ISIS took it, couple years ago.




We won the latest battle. There is less left now.



A story here...http://abcnews.go.com/International/isis-inside-iraqi-city-left-ruins/story?id=39073778

That first pic was here, for what it's worth: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news/158044/us-senators-slam-general-on-ramadi-comments

[forest444]

2. Which of course is fundamentalist theocracy of the most violent (and corrupt) kind.

What we've imposed in those countries (which should include the current narco state of Afghanistan) bears no resemblance to "our brand" of democracy here at home.

It might, of course, if the tea baggers ever get their way.

[McKim]

3. Democracy Was Not the Motive

Democracy was not the real motive. Our govt. went to Iraq to create a resources grab. The democracy was just an excuse.

[Duval]

4. Correct! Sigh!

[840high]

6. .+1

[Jack Rabbit]

7. It would help a lot, Your Holiness, if the US were a democracy

It has been firmly established this year that it won't become one without a new political revolution.
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