John Walsh Thesis Revision

This page is an exercise in revising a massively plagiarized master's thesis by paraphrasing portions of the text that were either quoted without attribution (no citation) or quoted inappropriately (no quotation marks). In both cases we will re-write individual paragraphs and deposit the results here, by page number.

Here is a link to the New York Times article.

Instructions:

John Walsh plagiarism damage control

1. Type on your personal notebook a piece of text (paragraph) from the page represented in the New York Times article of July 23, 2014.
2. Edit to rephrase in your own words, avoiding close paraphrasing as much as possible.
3. Cut and past results into this document on the proper page in the proper order, if possible.
4. Do minor formatting or editing as needed.
5. BONUS. If you are editing a passage without attribution, insert the reference.

Page 2

While the idea that more democracies in the world would theoretically advance U.S. and global interests, the United States should remember that the concept of a democracy is neither inherently good or bad, it is neutral and the U.S. must be careful when attempting to spread democracy.

Defining Democracy The United States has spread democracy throughout the rest of society for a significant amount of time. Due to this, one can’t underestimate the significance of democracy, as its influence has been felt by many regions. Although its influence has been felt, there has been a wide range of opinions regarding democracy and its implementation. These disagreements range from framework to the founding variables. Since there is a wide disagreement on its founding values, theory, and prerequisites it can be difficult to come to a concrete definition.

Nowadays, there is a social calling for democracy and the sense of freedom it imbues. The countries of east Europe has gotten rid of totalitarian governments that lasted over fifty years. The countries of what used to be the Society Union are struggling to do the same with their communist regime counterparts of seventy-five years with a new democratic order. The countries of the Western hemisphere are essentially a hemisphere of democracy; and those of Africa are going through a similar process.

Page 3

A fundamental method for accountability in a democracy is the ability to both elect and remove one’s leader; it is not sufficient to only have elections. In fact, the increase in the number of countries which consistently conduct fair and competitive elections is an incredible achievement of the modern democracy movement.

The election process is a cornerstone to democracy and allows citizens the autonomy of electing officials to lead in the interests of the public. However, it is not the sole indicator of democratic societies nor does it achieve complete global accountability. In order to be obtain this goal and protect the rights of citizens, other countries must adopt this way of thinking by providing just and impartial elections.

Page 4

War between democracies is not supported by historical studies. Michael Doyle’s 1983 article juxtaposes democratic states with international wars (1816–1980), concluding that “constitutionally secure liberal states have yet to engage in war with one another.” And this is not by chance: other studies have found the lack of violence statistically significant, even considering other variables, such as the relative wealth and geographic proximity of countries.

Page 5

Some fail to conceptualize the possibility of democratic peace, holding U.S. operations in Iran, Guatemala, and Chile in the spotlight as spurious examples of “state terrorism” against democracies. However, the democracies in question fail to meet democratic standards under close scrutiny and reduce U.S. actions to those of mere interference, as opposed to terrorism.

To preserve its own security, along with fighting for those who cannot, it is imperative that the democratic world rallies to promote the ideals of freedom throughout the Middle East. The notion of being safe is one far too intertwined with the condition of being free, and the world ultimately cannot be safe until it is free.

Page 7

Islam and Democracy

Modern Islam is many times considered at odds with democracy, but some well-regarded Muslims and Islamic groups disagree. Some believe they are entirely incompatible while others believe Islam necessitates a democratic system.

Julien Childress

In Egypt, people from similar backgrounds and having shared commonalities often support Islamism and democracy. It is an understood fact that Islamic supporters should favor democracy for a variety of reasons. Islamists envision democracy has a feasible path to widespread political participation, while democrats see this plan as an attempt to gain public approval and a larger constituency for Islam itself. Thus, it is clear that both groups are united in the political sphere.

Page 8

Arabs are the leaders of their own democracy. A successful Arab democracy must come from the Arab and Islamic people. Arab officials and leaders themselves must come together and confront the present societal issues. The United States, Europe, and India need to support Arab democracy for it to truly thrive.

The emergence of democratic values in Arab countries through reform will only be successful if the major stakeholding Arab countries collaborate. These stakeholders include religious leaders, who must reject religious fanaticism, as well as government officials who must disavow demagogy. If democracy is to emerge in the Arabic countries, the effort must originate and be owned by Arabs. The United States and Europe will and must play only a supporting role.

Page 9

Arab Support for Democracy

A frequent topic of debate throughout the Middle East involves the compatibility of Islam and democracy. Through various forms of communication and discussion, it has been determined by citizens of the Arab world see the tenets fo Islam to be inherently democratic. In other parts of the world, particularly in Western countries, religious rule and democracy are often viewed as opposing categories. It would seem that the Muslim world has rejected the practice of secularism, which is the separation of church and state. In a recent WVS, the majority of citizens in the Middle East do not view Islam and democracy as opposing forces. As a matter of fact, there were quite a few instances of respondents offering perceptive analyses on how the tenets of Islam can aid the democratization project.

Many middle easterners frequently discuss democracy and Islam. Arab citizens’ perspective on the values of Islam is stemming from democracy. Other, western, countries support vast separation between government, more specifically democracy, and religion. Muslims have not adopted the same segregation of church and state. Instead of observing the clashing between democracy and Islam, many middle easterners view ways in which they can further one another.

Page 10

First paragraph (only the sentences that were highlighted yellow): The state of politics in the Middle East has been linked by Washington to Washington’s own policies in the region for five decades, influencing U.S. policy.74 The idea that the state of the Middle East mirrored the U.S. policy there changed when terrorists from the Middle East attacked New York and Washington on September 11, 2001.75 … Two years later, President Bush spoke at the National Endowment for Democracy to state a new policy attitude toward the Middle East: the U.S. should be prioritizing the region as a democracy.79

Page 14

While the Bush administration wishes to see Iraq as a mature democracy, they acknowledge the low odds of this happening and the difficulty arising by getting involved in the Middle East. He has affirmed on numerous occasions that "The democratic progress we've seen in the Middle East was not imposed from abroad, neither will the greater progress we've seen in the Middle East was not imposed from abroad, and neither will the greater progress we hope to see. He has also warned that democratic development will not come swiftly, or smoothly, to the Middle East, any more than it did to America and Europe.