Monarchy and the "general solution"

[Tahuti]

The OP's premise is as well thought out as the book of Genesis.

In other words, better thought out than you initially might think.

 

[warpus]

More like full of inconsistencies, based on faulty premises, and lacking any connection to the real world.

But hey, you never know, maybe he's onto something.

 

[Gori the Grey]

Perhaps what we don't need are monarchies - but rather democracies who have a long and proud history of being monarchies in teh past. You know, countries that hold onto their kings and queens, for whatever reason. Also, they need to be first world western democracies.

The OP's premise is as well thought out as the book of Genesis.

Having said that, I hope the Canadian Queen abdicates and we get a president.

See, I like certain possibilities in the OP question, and that have cropped up tangentially in this thread, and your response here points in that direction.

Does a country need the resources provided by long success as a monarchy in order to establish a viable democracy?

How much of the US's success as a democracy is really a function of the phenomenal natural resources the country had to draw on?

Does democracy automatically work as the best form of government even for poorer countries?

I'm willing to re-think my knee-jerk commitment to democracy #1 to that degree. Should it automatically be the go-to option for a nation whose specifics you don't know (that was the hypothetical of the OP). I still think yes, if only because, with whatever advantages monarchy-aristocracy might have, it's effectively un-implementable in our day. But the existence of failed democracies could raise questions about democracy.

Calling Norway a monarchy can't raise any interesting questions at all.

 

[Senethro]

Just going to throw this in here as a not terribly relevant point - those countries that have best recovered from recent colonization/conquest are those that have long histories/strong identity as nations or cultures. Examples: China, Germany, Japan.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Just going to throw this in here as a not terribly relevant point - those countries that have best recovered from recent colonization/conquest are those that have long histories/strong identity as nations or cultures. Examples: China, Germany, Japan.

Unfortunately 'strong national identity' also gets countries voted 'most likely to try to conquer neighbors near and far' in their high school yearbooks.

 

[jackelgull]

India has recovered fairly well from colonization and conquest- and it hasn't felt the urge to conquer the world.

 

[Hygro]

In other words, better thought out than you initially might think.

You mean that lovely half page transition from Let There Be Light, for God Created Man and Woman together in his image to, and then God there made Adam, who was bored, so he CRACKED OPEN HIS CHEST and grew a girl out of his rib to be his subordinate the way man is his.

You'd think an editor would have been like "yo, pick one".

 

[Timsup2nothin]

India has recovered fairly well from colonization and conquest- and it hasn't felt the urge to conquer the world.

Agreed on both counts as far as I can tell. Would you say India has a strong national identity though? I'd say they are more 'live and let live' internally as well as externally, but my experience of people from India is pretty limited.