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> like the Iraq invasion

Democracies have a weak point though, because not always does the majority stand behind the "good" side of history. For example the US electorate was 80% in favor of the Iraq invasion in May 2003, a month or two after the invasion had begun and approximately at the same time with the infamous "Mission accomplished" speech. I've always compared the Iraq war with the equally infamous Athenian Sicily Expedition [1], which had got the majority support of the Athenian citizens at its start but which in the end proved to be disastrous for the Athenian democracy.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Expedition




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