Imposing a democratic regime on a politically undeveloped nation is like teaching sex ed to prepubescent kids. Both can but corrupt.
If I’m pushing too far, let’s say it’s like letting preschoolers choose their menu by voting. They’d vote in candy and chips and ruin their stomachs.
But what if the poor kids are suffering under a cruel, sadistic headmaster? No doubt he must be removed, or his flock may grow up deformed. Removed and replaced by a reasonable, decent person. It would still be possible, and imperative, to do without sex ed or menu voting.
Now what if the old sadist were a close relative of half the class, and the new schoolmaster belonged to a family the said half hated, as did their parents? What if many students, and their families, also hated the people who had arranged the bad guy’s removal?
Go figure.
I haven’t yet mentioned the poor little nerds in broken glasses, the butt of jokes and the prey of bullies… elite intellectuals as very young creatures…