Days when I am glad

Living in the United States has its advantages. To use a hyperbolic point (and misquote) from the upcoming movie V is for Vendetta, "The people should not have to be afraid of their government, the government should be afraid of its people."

So, in an irrelevant point, I am commenting on the fact that there was yet another coup attempt in the Phillipines. Of course, coup attempts there don't seem to be as successful or frequent as those in some African countries. In fact, there are more coups historically than elections in some of those very same countries in the last 2 centuries.

Let's look at an oft quoted statement:

The natural state of man is to yearn to be free.

That may be true but when Americans or American presidents quote that they often skip over other questions like:

1. Can all cultures exist/survive within a democratic/free governing system without self-destructing?
2. Are all cultures suitable for experiencing freedom/democracy and at what levels?
3. Can those cultures be modified to be able to experience Western style freedom/democracy and what would it take to change them?
4. If the answer is no to any of the above three questions, what are the implications for America or American leaders?

I am naturally skeptical that any one type of government would work for all countries, all cultures, all races and all situations. That is a hard assumption to accept. The true question is, what is anyone going to do about it if it is true?