text: is democracy an acceptable form of government throughout the world? maybe islam doesn't allow for freedom. i see women treated very differently then men in muslim countires and maybe it's impossible to have freedom of different kinds in certain cultures. maybe women like to be oppresssed and enslaved in certain circumstances. maybe men do. serbs, tutsies etc. have killed there neighbors endlessly. how long was the iraq/iran war? didn't they have children clear mine fields by walking in them? maybe we can only live under a benevolent dictator no, it just doesn't work in some cultures. look at the former ussr... the communist party is coming back stronger than ever and it's because democracy in russia has put so many people into the streets and the russian mobsters have taken over just about everything over there including many top positions in government. many russians have been protesting to have the communist's put back into power. for the last year or so, russians have had to do something they have not had to do before...they now have to pay their own utility bills. now they have to pay for water, gas and electricity.   i feel that socialism and democracy can work well together if implemented correctly. you can have a socialist government and still have freedom.   that form of government should be put into practice here in the usa. i don't know about you but i am tired of having 5% of the people here in the usa controling 95% of the wealth!  power should never be allowed to be in the hands of one person!  many americans don't see it yet but in the last decade, we have been losing some of our freedoms! (think about it).  women should be treated as equals all over the world. i believe that day will come.  by the way, the iran/iraq war lasted from 1980 - 1988.