[tinza123]

Since when is "democracy" the golden standard for every culture and every country? Politics are all about trade-offs, among efficiency, centralized power, poverty to solve, nationality and defence, and many other aspects. Democracy can be beneficial but it sucks at so many things, and it's normally short-sighted. Is Singapore, with less democratic system, not as "legitimate" as the U.S.? Your opinion sounds like a 5-yr old talking about politics.

[jasonzemos]

I'd like to apologize for simply not using the phrase "non-consenting." Including the word "democratic" in my point is probably far too convoluted. The definition of a legitimate regime (going back to Locke's treatise on government) is one that has consent of the people. Democracy (as a whole system in its many diverse forms) and elections (as part of that system to sample the people directly), and self-government itself: where you and your ordinary civilian neighbors are physically involved in the governance of your locality, rather than cadres sent from the central government -- the confluence of all of this is legitimacy.