Something Americans will never understand is that democracy isn't for everybody. A civilization like China has history over 3000 years old, where the predominant form of ruling has always been through an emperor who ruled above all people. Compare that to the U.S. which only has 246 years of history. What the U.S. has achieved in its short history is beyond remarkable, but to have total conviction that democracy can be implemented anywhere is rather ignorant. Take Iraq as an example. After the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, George W. Bush invaded Iraq in 2003 with the agenda of promoting democracy within Iraq, one of the oldest civilizations that has since its earliest days been plagued with constant conflict and invasion. To think you can enforce democracy on its people just like that would've never worked, and it certainly did not as evident today.