# What do we do when Iran drops the big one on... **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 7, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-we-do-when-iran-drops-the-big-one-on/627485 "2012-07-07T00:42:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 116
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-we-do-when-iran-drops-the-big-one-on/627485/116 "2012-07-08T08:52:19Z")
> [@SunGazer](#): > > Thanks for the welcome. > > The USA has been operating like a democracy for some time now, however, our form of government is republican as far as I know. Here’s a link that explains this. Please correct me if you think I’ve misunderstood this. For some reason, it’s common for Americans to mention that the USA isn’t a democracy but a Republic. I’m not aware of any other country where such a statement is made. “Democracy” and “Republic” aren’t antinomic. They refer to two different things. The USA is a democracy and a Republic, Syria is a Republic but not a democracy, Spain is a democracy but not a Republic, and Saudi Arabia is neither a Republic nor a democracy. If you just say to someone who never heard of the USA that it’s a Republic, he can’t guess what your political system is. If you then add that it’s not a democracy, then he’ll rightly assume that it’s a dictatorship of some sort (or possibly an oligarchy). My understanding is that when it is said, what is meant is that the USA isn’t a _direct_ democracy. But then, there aren’t any direct democracy on the planet anyway. ETA : the definition given in your link for “Republic” is wrong from the get go (“Republic. That form of government in which the powers of sovereignty are vested in the people”) --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-we-do-when-iran-drops-the-big-one-on/627485)._