Walter Russell Mead on democracy in South Africa

I can't resist quoting a passage (below) from one of Meade's recent posts. One can agree or disagree with the rest of the post. But I share these sentiments.

Yours for democracy & the oppenness of historical possibility,
Jeff Weintraub
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Walter Russell Meade (Via Meadia)
December 27, 2011
South Africa: The Democracy That Will Not Die

[....]

South African democracy is one of the world’s more improbable success stories, and its future can never be taken for granted. It is a little bit like a giraffe; if you hadn’t seen one you would never imagine that it was possible.



The peaceful transition to majority rule and the establishment of an orderly majority government under Nelson Mandela was one of the political miracles of the twentieth century. That this miracle continues to inspire so many South Africans under such difficult conditions remains a great blessing and a sign of hope to Africa and the world.

The Republic of South Africa is one of the countries Via Meadia will be watching in 2012; the battle for South Africa’s future has implications far beyond its frontiers.