Government and culture--must they evolve over a long period of time?

[Zevico]

I'm reading a small amount of Legalist philosophy and a certain phrase really stuck in my mind regarding government. It seemed appropriate given the contrast between Western government and the governments of less developed nations who have attempted to institute a liberal democracy and failed, or when Western governments have attempted to directly "implant" such systems (ie. in Iraq for example).
"To attempt to apply a benevolent and lenient government to the people of a desperate age is about the same as trying to drive wild horses without reins or whips. This is the affliction of ignorance."
Do you think this is true?

[VetLegion]

Certainly. You need to have enough time for social consensus to evolve. It evolves best if a country is homogenous in all regards (race, language, ethnicity, religion), but even then it takes time.