# How to Democratize the Middle East **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 13, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707 "2004-08-13T17:00:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/21 "2004-08-14T11:32:01Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Well, I’m willing to match mine against yours, if that’s the criterion. I don’t know what criteria we’re basing this off of. You’re the one who brought up indiginous people so you tell me. Marc ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/22 "2004-08-14T11:32:39Z")
I believe you have me confused with Dex. ---
**Author:** ![Gest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Gest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gest)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/23 "2004-08-14T11:53:07Z")
> [@Brandus](#): > > Seeing as how the **entire** Arab world loathes George Bush, as seen by them burning effigies of him on the streets, That’s a mess of burning Bushes. Can we now pin the blame for global warming on these hundreds of millions of effigy burners rather than North Americans? ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/24 "2004-08-14T13:21:22Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I believe you have me confused with Dex. No, you’re the one bringing up indigenous folk. Dex was talking about moving non-indigenous people to new areas. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/25 "2004-08-14T15:30:34Z")
**grienspace** : I had the same idea, only I was thinking Wyoming. The Israelis did a great job with the miserable patch of desert that was given to them over there, I’m sure they could turn Wyoming into a place actually worth visiting. Yes, I did have to drive through Wyoming. Twice. The long way across. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/26 "2004-08-14T17:28:52Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > Can’t democratize a tribal culture. It’s a waste of time. Like painting a frsco on a damp plaster wall, it just won’t last. Kinda like Scotland eh? ---
**Author:** ![nonpolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@nonpolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonpolar)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/27 "2004-08-14T17:36:57Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > **grienspace** : I had the same idea, only I was thinking Wyoming. The Israelis did a great job with the miserable patch of desert that was given to them over there, I’m sure they could turn Wyoming into a place actually worth visiting. > > Yes, I did have to drive through Wyoming. Twice. The long way across. Any country can make patch of desert green,providing USA taxpayers pay the bill. ---
**Author:** ![Gest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Gest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gest)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/28 "2004-08-14T17:39:53Z")
Sure but that’s not how the Israelis did it. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/29 "2004-08-14T17:40:40Z")
> [@Brandus](#): > > Wouldn’t voting him out of the office sort of prove that that democracy works? If they see a leader they hate deposed of by peaceful means, it would register with them on some level that democracy is better then the monarchies or theocracies they have now. Why the hell should we vote the way the Middle East thinks we should? That’s not democracy. > [@grienspace](#): > > To follow up on Dex’spost, I would suggest airlifting the Jews out of Israel into let’s say Nevada so that they could still have their own state would solve the entire Middle East problem, and be a lot cheaper. Except that you would create the Palestinian problem in Nevada, stupid. ---
**Author:** ![nonpolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@nonpolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonpolar)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/30 "2004-08-14T18:15:01Z")
> [@Gest](#): > > Sure but that’s not how the Israelis did it. I don’t want to go off the main OP,but can you enlighten me more please,how did they do it? ---
**Author:** ![nonpolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@nonpolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonpolar)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/31 "2004-08-14T18:21:53Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > Can’t democratize a tribal culture. It’s a waste of time. Like painting a frsco on a damp plaster wall, it just won’t last. What kind of “Democracy” you talking about .Nobody wants American style Democracy.Real Democracy never existed in the USA. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/32 "2004-08-14T18:26:33Z")
> [@nonpolar](#): > > What kind of “Democracy” you talking about .Nobody wants American style Democracy.Real Democracy never existed in the USA. Talk about being defeatist. Lets hope not alot of other people are holdong this viewpoint. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/33 "2004-08-14T18:30:18Z")
> [@Ryan\_Liam](#): > > Talk about being defeatist. Lets hope not alot of other people are holdong this viewpoint. According the the spokesperson for The People, you’re too late. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5167159&postcount=125](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5167159&postcount=125) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/34 "2004-08-14T19:44:36Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > **grienspace** : I had the same idea, only I was thinking Wyoming. The Israelis did a great job with the miserable patch of desert that was given to them over there, I’m sure they could turn Wyoming into a place actually worth visiting. > > Yes, I did have to drive through Wyoming. Twice. The long way across. Florida would seem to be the more logical choice. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/35 "2004-08-14T20:09:05Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > Yes, I did have to drive through Wyoming. Twice. The long way across. Which way is the short way across? ---
**Author:** ![threeorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@threeorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threeorange)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/36 "2004-08-15T12:35:00Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > Which way is the short way across? In Wyoming, from west to east (or vice versa) is the long way across, from north to south (or vice versa) is the short way across. This is an easy question when the state is perfectly rectangular. I realize this post has absolutely nothing to do with the thread topic, I just wanted to show off my knowledge of rectangles. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![InvidiousCourgette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@InvidiousCourgette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InvidiousCourgette)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707/37 "2004-08-15T12:43:13Z")
> [@threeorange](#): > > In Wyoming, from west to east (or vice versa) is the long way across, from north to south (or vice versa) is the short way across. This is an easy question when the state is perfectly rectangular. I realize this post has absolutely nothing to do with the thread topic, I just wanted to show off my knowledge of rectangles. 🙂 Would the long way across not be from the NE corner to the SW one? Or alternatively from the SE to the NW corner? I realize this post has absolutely nothing to do with the thread topic, I just wanted to show off my knowledge of diagonals. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-democratize-the-middle-east/259707.md?page=1)