Essay: America's Dubious Export

The historical counterpoint is perfect: 50 years almost to the day after Nazi tanks roared across the border into Poland, that long-suffering nation has given birth to a freely elected, non-Communist government. No metaphor better symbolizes the triumph of democracy over totalitarianism. Even the horrific memory of the bloodstains in Tiananmen Square cannot eradicate the impression that most of the world is emulating the Western form of government -- or wants to desperately, even to the point of death. Not only the Communist bloc is awash in democratic ferment; nine Latin American nations have held or are scheduled to hold free...

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