A free society works best where the need for coercion is least: in developed countries people cooperate voluntarily because they buy into shared belief systems, values and ideals, so the state cannot and need not be everywhere; where those beliefs are absent, continued force is required just to maintain cooperation, which is exactly what is seen in Iraq.

causalpending

Speaker

Christopher Coyne

Evidence Quote

where those beliefs and values are absent ... then that will require the continued use of force to get people to cooperate and that's precisely what we see in Iraq

Source

Christopher Coyne on Exporting Democracy after War 04/07/2008EconTalk
Created: 6/15/2026, 9:29:02 AM

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