Surely there is a certain degree of truth in the saying that ‘Power Corrupts’. Put someone in a position where they could torture and abuse human rights, and only the very strong will resist the temptation if they are given the slightest means to justify it. Look at Gutanamo bay, and ponder on the civil rights restrictions that are creeping in here in the UK.
Also, very few of the so called ‘democratic’ systems are truely open and accountable, in the UK for example, it has been said that all we do is choose our dictator and his cronies (parliament) for the next five years, as we can’t boot them out half way through.
Although I think this latter point is a bit far-fetched, I think it does demonstrate that every system of government is open to abuse, and that the different systems are not as far removed from each other as you might be lead to believe by their various champions.
A