Bombing for Democracy

Laos has the dubious distinction of being one of the most heavily bombed countries on the planet (in per capita terms). Between 1964 and 1973, the United States flew over 10,000 missions over the country, dropping over one million bombs, in an attempt to distrupt the Ho Chi Minh Trail and undermine the Viet Cong supply route into Vietnam. At the time, this bombing was done in secret, as the administration at the time suspected congress or the American people might get upset if they knew their government was bombing a neutral country. (What a drag it must be for leaders that people get upset over things like that!)

The country is still living with the aftermath of this destruction. Over 30% (i.e. 300,000) of these bombs did not detonate on impact and are littered across the countryside, and are still periodically detonated by someone unfortunate enough to pass by.

So here's a couple of questions to ponder:

Q1) Of the 24 countries the United States has bombed since World War II, how many of those became democracies as a result?

Q2) Of the 67 countries where the population used non-violent protest as a means to increase their freedom, how many succeeded?

Stay tuned shortly for the answers.