Democracy is not just a system of government, it’s a culture of values and beliefs. You can change the government overnight, but without the right values and beliefs, democracy is hampered. All of Asia’s successes developed economically before they added democracy, so capitalism and economic success may be one of the fundamental precursors to successful democracy.  India and Iraq have democracy but neither is a particularly successful country. China has no democracy but has pulled hundreds of millions out of poverty and grown into a developed nation.