Democracy is not necessarily best for the new nations of Asia, Rupert Emerson '22, professor of Government, asserted last night in an address sponsored by the Harvard Liberal Union.
Speaking to a Sever audience on "Revolution in Burma, Pakistan, and Thailand," Emerson said that most undeveloped countries "lack the basic pre-requisites of democracy."
Emerson pointed out the recent "turn in the direction of military take-over" in Asia. However, the army, he observed, was sometimes a "progressive force" in a young society. He also noted that democratic institutions were much stronger in those underdeveloped nations which had "long colonial experience" than in the ones which had always been independent.
At the meeting, Charles Weiss '59, secretary of the HLU, announced that the Drive to Rebuild Clinton High School had collected $330 from the University and Radcliffe. The HLU project ended Tuesday, Weiss said, with the receipt of a $58 check from Harkness Commons.
The original target figure was $150, subsequently raised to $250, Weiss added.
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