Messianic democracy is a neologism originally used by Jacob Talmon is his book Origins of Totalitarian Democracy (1951) to describe the "democracy by force" doctrines of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and its philosophical decendents, as an effective tyranny that demotes democratic principle to rhetorical use only. Variants include totalitarian democracy and Jacobin democracy. A political neologism is a newly coined term (neologism) for political use, to craft the public view of policy or social agenda in language that appeals most to a current political culture. ... Jacob Leib Talmon (1916-1980) was an Israeli historian in the Hebrew University in Jerusalem that studied the Modern Age, especially the French Revolution. ... Jean Jacques Rousseau (June 28, 1712 – July 2, 1778) was a Franco-Swiss philosopher, writer, political theorist, and self-taught composer of The Age of Enlightenment. ... The Elections and Parties Series Democracy Liberal democracy History of democracy Referenda Representative democracy Representation Voting Voting systems Elections Elections by country Elections by calender Electoral systems Politics Politics by country Political campaigns Political science Political philosophy Related topics Political parties Parties by country Parties by name Parties by ideology... Totalitarian democracy is a term coined by Israeli historian J. L. Talmon to refer to a system of government in which lawfully elected representatives maintain the integrity of a nation state whose citizens, while granted the right to vote, have little or no participation in the decision-making process of... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Indeed, from the vantage point of the mid twentieth century the history of the last hundred and fifty years looks like a systematic preparation for the headlong collision between empirical and liberal democracy on the one hand, and totalitarian Messianic democracy on the other, in which the world crisis of to-day consists. - J. L. Talmon [1]

In recent years the term has seen some increased use among anti Iraq War activists to refer to the United States' stated proclamations for war as self-serving rhetoric, thinly disguised as having philosophical basis. The term further implies that the holders of such doctrines view themselves as self-appointed arbitrers of good and evil, entirely above the laws of men. The term connotes the direct cultural implications of states that assume a posture and doctrine of superiour culture and purpose and asserts that a very wide religious, philosophical, and moral divide exists between genuine universal principles and the pugilistic foundations of a 'democracy by force' doctrine. Anti war protest in Melbourne, Australia, 2003 Anti_war is a name that is widely adopted by any social movement or person that seeks to end or oppose a future or current war. ... Iraq war may refer to one of the following: The 2003 invasion of Iraq and the subsequent occupation The Gulf War (1990–1991), also known as the Persian Gulf War or the First Gulf War The Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988) The Anglo-Iraqi War (1941) The Iraq War, a... Fishers of men; Oil on panel by Adriaen van de Venne (1614) Religion—sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system—is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices, values, and institutions associated with such belief. ... Morality is a system of principles and judgments based on cultural, religious, and philosophical concepts and beliefs, by which humans determine whether given actions are right or wrong. ...

The term is used to assert that claims of 'establishing liberty and freedom through the use of military force' are analogous to other overly-zealous doctrines of salvation by submission to a claimed authority. Hence the basis for "peace" critics claim, is simply a submission to authority —not a principle which advocates of freedom often argue. (ie. Pax Romana, Pax Americana, etc.) The implied outcome of such doctrines, their critics claim, are proof of its truth — that societies which make such claims are moreoften dismissive of other societies and cultures, they hold the interests and will of foreign people in disregard, and further contradict themselves in terms of its original moral premises for war, as compared to latter ones. These contradiction represents both a strategic and philosophical weakeness at its core of the "doctrine", and represents a moral decline among those who hold to its view. Zealotry refers to cases where activism and pride in relation to an ideology have become excessive to the point of being harmful to others, oneself, and ones own cause. ... Salvation refers to deliverance from some undesirable state or condition. ... Pax Romana, Latin for the Roman peace, is the long period of peace experienced by states within the Roman Empire. ... The term Pax Americana (Latin: American Peace) denotes the period of peace in the Western world since the end of World War II in 1945, coinciding with the dominant military and economic position of the United States. ...

Critiques of the political rhetoric of the current War on Terrorism and its attached Iraq War, have typically compared these doctrines to those of the crusades, which, from a perspective of history, tended more toward seeking the destruction of infidel non-believers rather than their salvation. Hence the messianic democracy term implies the hypocrisy of democracy by force doctrines, which despite assuming the full rhetoric and stature of a self-appointed savior, but can only loosely or indirectly allude to the principles of messianic guidance and peace. In the context of the United States and its large Christian populations, it asserts the hypocrisy of those Christians who support the wholesale use of war, while claiming to uphold the message of Jesus(perhaps basing this view on a common misinterpretation of the quote "I come not to bring peace, but to bring a sword.") Political rhetoric, often just rhetoric, refers to political claims and statements that are hyperbole, with little substance. ... The war on terrorism or war on terror (in U.S. foreign policy circles, the Global War on Terrorism or GWOT1 ) is an ongoing campaign by the government of the United States and its principal allies, with the declared aim of destroying individuals and groups deemed to be terrorist, and... Iraq war may refer to one of the following: The 2003 invasion of Iraq and the subsequent occupation The Gulf War (1990–1991), also known as the Persian Gulf War or the First Gulf War The Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988) The Anglo-Iraqi War (1941) The Iraq War, a... This article is about historical Crusades . ... An infidel Is an unbeliever with respect to a particular religion, especially Christianity or Islam. ... This 11th-century portrait is one of many images of Jesus in which a halo with a cross is used. ... I come not to bring peace, but to bring a sword is one of the reported sayings of Jesus in the Bible. ...

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