What You Don't Read in the Papers

[Moldran]

Ditto with Germany post '46. Indeed, in Germany, one might find a couple of thoroughly failed models for imposing some kind of democracy from outside. The Weimar Republic? Spectacular failure. The Confederacy of the Rhine? Talk about your basic puppet government, but it was at least nominally an attempt to "export" the French revolution. And, of course, it failed horribly, and the people went right back to trying to make a Germany *their* way.

Truth is that Germany did not really have a democratic tradition before 1945.

The Weimar Republic never found real acceptance. Neither in the masses nor in the elites.
BTW, the Weimar Republic was not imposed from outside. It was the result of a revolt in Germany. WW1 winners had nothing to do with it.

But both were miles ahead of where Iraq has ever been before.

The idea of democracy has more acceptance in Iraq today than it had in Germany in 1945.
Democracy was hated by 90%+ of Germans when WW2 was over. Iraq is miles ahead of that.

An Emperor can be anything from an autocrat to window dressing. That Japan had one does not mean it didn't also have the idea of democracy. Again, definitely not the textbook case of perfect democracy. But something, a lot more than Iraq has/has ever had.

Please be more exact. Can you specify the democratic traditions Japan had before WW2 was over that Iraq is lacking today ?