Democracy In Action

the people have spoken: Hamas wins in Palestinian elections.

so do we still think democracy is the way to go?

my own thoughts are that failing to recognize the voice of any people group can be pretty maddening -- and i can see (not sympathize) how it could drive people to violence in order to gain recognition. (although, Hamas has been well behaved of late...)

now that Hamas' voice has been recognized -- and they have power and authority to speak and act, what will they do with that? will they grow up and show this victory to be well earned through a future of peaceful politics / negotiations, or strip themselves of the dignity of this power by succumbing to the voice of violence? if we believe democracy is the way to go -- we need to allow them to choose wisely or choose poorly... and it will be interesting to see which way things will go. my experience with human nature tells me to bet on the former.

i see a parallel situation in Egypt with the Muslim Brotherhood, and am disappointed to see the lack of real democracy in action there.