More and more reports keep surfacing of what a tough guy Iraqi PM Ayad Allawi is. Apparently the rumor around Baghdad is that he’s personally executed some terrorists! Most folks don’t think that’s true, but it does burnish his strongman image nevertheless. Mickey Kaus postulates that short-term democracy might have to be abaondoned to ensure it’s long-term success:
In general, could Iraq be in a situation in which (as a Marxist might argue) the transitional methods necessary to establish the rule of law are themselves inconsistent with the rule of law?
Forget Marxism, look at the early American republic! George Washington was considered a tyrant by some Americans because believed that a strong hand was needed at the beginning to make sure that everyone got in line (see: The Whiskey Rebellion).
