For those of us who think the promotion of liberal democracy should be an integral element of American statecraft, the push back from critics is often that we (the democracy promoters) just don’t understand that democracy is about more than just elections. They argue that we are naïve when it comes to political realities, a people’s culture, etc.
Putting aside the fact that those in the democracy promotion business are not simpletons and are fully aware of the complexities of their work, it’s striking how many of these same critics are now insisting on the return of the duly elected president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted in a recent military coup. Willing to turn a blind eye to Zelaya’s own unconstitutional behavior in trying to overturn presidential term limits and extend his rule (a la President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela), those demanding his return seem more than happy to ignore those Hondurans defending their constitution, such as the country’s supreme court, congress, and attorney general.
So, who’s being simpleminded about democracy now?