tabs -- that's why I hedged with three countries the US "democratized and help stabilized".
But it's strange -- first you scoff at the notion that Pakistan is a democracy ... as though in order to be a "legitimate" democracy it has to be up to some American standard. THEN you go on to say that expecting everyone to become the American standard is a joke...
Hmmm... Bipolar day today, amigo?
I certainly do not believe that every nation can (much less should) be made into an "American" democracy. However, I also believe that's not our aim.
Whatever you need to call our efforts in the Middle East (and why you need to call it anything is a separate question) democracy of whatever flavor is a
means to an end -- stability and safety. Not all democracies prosper, but where there is opportunity and prosperity there is almost always democracy. Look at where opportunity and prosperity are lacking -- that's where you've got the most and most severe problems (coughmiddleeastcough).
You don't need to kill every terrorist to win -- b/c you never could. You need to convince them they can't win. And there are two sides of that ledger -- first, you need to convince them that they can't beat you.
OK, you say, that leaves glorious martyrdom and dying for their cause... Second, though, is that they have opportunities other than blowing themselves up -- a possible future that's worth pursuing. So they can't beat you AND they can do much better for themselves than they could under their Thug/mullah/theocracy. It's not advanced math.
As it doesn't need to be American democracy, it doesn't need to be American-levels of opportunity and prosperity.
Heaven forfend that other countries reach American levels of opportunity and prosperity, actually -- b/c then you'd create a caste of professional self-loathers that couldn't help but blame their country for everything wrong in their lives and the world, as a convenient contrition to excuse and "elevate" themselves.... and I wouldn't wish that on any other country.
JP
EDIT -- Re: Pakistan as democracy. Sorry, it took me a minute to find
this. And no, it's not "elections" such as those Hussein wherein Hussein enjoyed 100% of the popular vote...