Summary
In none of these cases did occupying forces play a role. In Germany and Japan, after the Second World War, they helped establish an environment in which democratic traditions could revive. In Japan, General Mac Arthur's radical land reform was important in creating a new social environment. In Cuba, Haiti and the Philippines, the outcome of US occupation was more mixed. In Bosnia and Kosovo, the story is not yet over.
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Extract
'Military Occupation Is Not the Road to Democracy'
Democracy is not the natural condition of the world. The ambiguous examples of Athens and Rome still shine dimly from the past; but democracy as a sustained, widespread phenomenon is something new.
A hundred years ago, no more than a handful of states were democratic. By today's standards, most of these were highly imperfect. Women did not vote anywhere; property qualifications still existed; in the United States, black Americans were not fully enfranchised until late in the 20th century. As we embark on projects to spread democracy more widely, a cause that is important for the welfare of many people abroad - as it is, in the long run, for our security a...See the full content of this document
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