This is something I disagree on.
In essence, I regard democracy, much like the free market, to be a technology of sorts.
Consider an example from the martial arts. If I take a sharpened entrenchment tool and execute a stabbing blow into a man's chin, that man is going to have a really bad day if I do it right. And anybody can do it right if they train in some combatives. They don't have to be a Shaolin Monk to really mess someone up, all they need to do is practice their moves and do them right.
Every culture has both totalitarian and liberal aspects to it, and while culture is important, if you maintain a semi-liberal democracy for a few decades, the more liberal aspects will come up more. Take Germany. They've invented some of the chief aspects of modern totalitarianism, and yet you'd hardly notice that looking at their country. Sure it's a welfare state, but it's hardly meaningfully worse than France, Britain, or Estonia. It's actually far better than most of the world (not an unimportant point). The totalitarian aspects of German culture have been suppressed so much people are shamed and ostracized for holding those views.
Now it is true that a modern democracy is much improved if the people who live in them have certain attitudes (Anglo-Saxon Protestants are better at it than, say, Slavic Orthodox!).
But here's the thing. If you manage to maintain a modern democracy for a few decades - a few successful semi-fair elections - it will lead to more prosperity and less brutality.
Similar is a free market.
Go to an African country. Lower taxes. Introduce private property. Lo and behold, the economy starts growing even if the people doing it are not Anglo-Saxonprotestants. Maybe it starts growing at a lower rate (although poor countries which recently implemented economic reform have explosive growth rates. Last anybody checked, Indonesia had 6% annual growth).
Let me be clear: In the long run free market economies and democracies springing up places are good for everyone involved. If these countries generate more wealth, that's more wealthy people to trade with and less crazy radicals. Sure they won't be harmless - nobody is harmless - but I prefer not to have incredible massacres next door, which is as viable a policy preference as anything else.
