| From Venezuela to Thailand, democratic | | | | Spearheaded by the United States, the |
| regimes are being toppled by | | | | white and Christian nations of the West |
| authoritarian substitutes: the military, | | | | embarked with missionary zeal on a |
| charismatic left-wingers, or mere | | | | transformation, willy-nilly, of their |
| populists. Even in the USA, the bastion | | | | erstwhile charges into paragons of |
| of constitutional rule, civil and human | | | | democracy and good governance. |
| rights are being alarmingly eroded | | | | And not for the first time. Napoleon |
| (though not without precedent in | | | | justified his gory campaigns by claiming |
| wartime). | | | | that they served to spread French ideals |
| The prominent ideologues of liberal | | | | throughout a barbarous world. Kipling |
| democracy have committed a grave error | | | | bemoaned the "White Man's (civilizing) |
| by linking themselves inextricably with | | | | burden", referring specifically to |
| the doctrine of freemarketry and the | | | | Britain's role in India. Hitler believed |
| emerging new order of globalization. As | | | | himself to be the last remaining barrier |
| Thomas Friedman correctly observes in | | | | between the hordes of Bolshevism and the |
| "The Lexus and the Olive Tree", both | | | | West. The Vatican concurred with him. |
| strains of thought are strongly | | | | This self-righteousness would have been |
| identified with the United States of | | | | more tolerable had the West actually |
| America (USA). | | | | meant and practiced what it preached, |
| Thus, liberal democracy came to be | | | | however self-delusionally. Yet, in |
| perceived by the multitudes as a ruse | | | | dozens of cases in the last 60 years |
| intended to safeguard the interests of | | | | alone, Western countries intervened, |
| an emerging, malignantly narcissistic | | | | often by force of arms, to reverse and |
| empire (the USA) and of rapacious | | | | nullify the outcomes of perfectly legal |
| multinationals. Liberal democracy came | | | | and legitimate popular and democratic |
| to be identified with numbing, low-brow | | | | elections. They did so because of |
| cultural homogeneity, encroachment on | | | | economic and geopolitical interests and |
| privacy and the individual, and | | | | they usually installed rabid dictators |
| suppression of national and other | | | | in place of the deposed elected |
| idiosyncratic sentiments. | | | | functionaries. |
| Liberal democracy came to be confused | | | | This hypocrisy cost them dearly. Few in |
| and confuted with neo-colonial | | | | the poor and developing world believe |
| exploitation, social Darwinism, and the | | | | that the United States or any of its |
| crumbling of social compacts and | | | | allies are out to further the causes of |
| long-standing treaties, both explicit | | | | democracy, human rights, and global |
| and implicit. It even came to be | | | | peace. The nations of the West have sown |
| associated with materialism and a | | | | cynicism and they are reaping strife and |
| bewildering variety of social ills: | | | | terrorism in return. |
| rising crime rates, unemployment, | | | | Moreover, democracy is far from what it |
| poverty, drug addiction, prostitution, | | | | is made out to be. Confronted with |
| organ trafficking, monopolistic | | | | history, the myth breaks down. |
| behavior, corporate malfeasance, and | | | | For instance, it is maintained by their |
| other antisocial forms of conduct. | | | | chief proponents that democracies are |
| The backlash was, thus, inevitable. | | | | more peaceful than dictatorships. But |
| "Never doubt that a small group of | | | | the two most belligerent countries in |
| thoughtful concerned individuals can | | | | the world are, by a wide margin, Israel |
| precipitate change in the world ... | | | | and the United States (closely followed |
| indeed, it is the only thing that ever | | | | by the United Kingdom). As of late, |
| has" | | | | China is one of the most tranquil |
| (Margaret Mead) | | | | polities. |
| I. The Democratic Ideal and New | | | | Democracies are said to be inherently |
| Colonialism | | | | stable (or to successfully incorporate |
| "Democracy" is not the rule of the | | | | the instability inherent in politics). |
| people. It is government by periodically | | | | This, too, is a confabulation. The |
| vetted representatives of the people. | | | | Weimar Republic gave birth to Adolf |
| Democracy is not tantamount to a | | | | Hitler and Italy had almost 50 |
| continuous expression of the popular | | | | governments in as many years. The |
| will as it pertains to a range of | | | | bloodiest civil wars in history erupted |
| issues. Functioning and fair democracy | | | | in Republican Spain and, seven decades |
| is representative and not participatory. | | | | earlier, in the United States. |
| Participatory "people power" is mob | | | | Czechoslovakia, the USSR, and Yugoslavia |
| rule, not democracy. | | | | imploded upon becoming democratic, |
| Granted, "people power" is often | | | | having survived intact for more than |
| required in order to establish democracy | | | | half a century as tyrannies. |
| where it is unprecedented. Revolutions - | | | | Democracies are said to be conducive to |
| velvet, rose, and orange - recently | | | | economic growth (indeed, to be a |
| introduced democracy in Eastern Europe, | | | | prerequisite to such). But the fastest |
| for instance. People power - mass street | | | | economic growth rates in history go to |
| demonstrations - toppled obnoxious | | | | imperial Rome, Nazi Germany, Stalinist |
| dictatorships from Iran to the | | | | Russia, and post-Mao China. |
| Philippines and from Peru to Indonesia. | | | | Finally, how represented is the vox |
| But once the institutions of democracy | | | | populi even in established democracies? |
| are in place and more or less | | | | In a democracy, people can freely |
| functional, the people can and must | | | | protest and make their opinions known, |
| rest. They should let their chosen | | | | no doubt. Sometimes, they can even |
| delegates do the job they were elected | | | | change their representatives (though the |
| to do. And they must hold their | | | | rate of turnover in the US Congress in |
| emissaries responsible and accountable | | | | the last two decades is lower than it |
| in fair and free ballots once every two | | | | was in the last 20 years of the |
| or four or five years. | | | | Politburo). |
| As heads of the state in Latin America, | | | | But is this a sufficient incentive (or |
| Africa, Asia, and East Europe can | | | | deterrent)? The members of the various |
| attest, these vital lessons are lost on | | | | elites in Western democracies are mobile |
| the dozens of "new democracies" the | | | | - they ceaselessly and facilely hop from |
| world over. Many of these presidents and | | | | one lucrative sinecure to another. Lost |
| prime ministers, though democratically | | | | the elections as a Senator? How about a |
| elected (multiply, in some cases), have | | | | multi-million dollar book contract, a |
| fallen prey to enraged and vigorous | | | | consultant position with a firm you |
| "people power" movements in their | | | | formerly oversaw or regulated, your own |
| countries. | | | | talk show on television, a cushy job in |
| And these breaches of the democratic | | | | the administration? |
| tradition are not the only or most | | | | The truth is that voters are powerless. |
| egregious ones. | | | | The rich and mighty take care of their |
| The West boasts of the three waves of | | | | own. Malfeasance carries little risk and |
| democratization that swept across the | | | | rarely any sanction. Western democracies |
| world 1975. Yet, in most developing | | | | are ossified bastions of |
| countries and nations in transition, | | | | self-perpetuating interest groups aided |
| "democracy" is an empty word. Granted, | | | | and abetted and legitimized by the |
| the hallmarks of democracy are there: | | | | ritualized spectacle that we call |
| candidate lists, parties, election | | | | "elections". And don't you think the |
| propaganda, and voting. But its quiddity | | | | denizens of Africa and Asia and eastern |
| is absent. It is being consistently | | | | Europe and the Middle East are |
| hollowed out and rendered mock by | | | | blissfully unaware of this charade. |
| election fraud, exclusionary policies, | | | | II. Democracy and Empire |
| cronyism, corruption, intimidation, and | | | | As the United states is re-discovering |
| collusion with Western interests, both | | | | in Iraq and Israel in Palestine, |
| commercial and political. | | | | maintaining democratic institutions and |
| The new "democracies" are | | | | empire-building are incompatible |
| thinly-disguised and criminalized | | | | activities. History repeatedly shows |
| plutocracies (recall the Russian | | | | that one cannot preserve a democratic |
| oligarchs), authoritarian regimes | | | | core in conjunction with an oppressed |
| (Central Asia and the Caucasus), or | | | | periphery of colonial real estate. |
| Vichy-like heterarchies (Macedonia, | | | | The role of imperial power entails the |
| Bosnia, and Iraq, to mention three | | | | suppression, subversion, or manipulation |
| recent examples). | | | | of all forms of free speech, governance, |
| The new "democracies" suffer from many | | | | and elections. It usually involves |
| of the same ills that afflict their | | | | unsavory practices such as torture, |
| veteran role models: murky campaign | | | | illegal confinement, assassinations, and |
| finances, venal revolving doors between | | | | collusion with organized crime. Empires |
| state administration and private | | | | typically degenerate into an abyss of |
| enterprise, endemic corruption, | | | | corruption, megalomaniacal projects, |
| self-censoring media, socially, | | | | deceit, paranoia, and self-directed |
| economically, and politically excluded | | | | aggression. |
| minorities, and so on. But while this | | | | The annals of both Rome and Britain |
| malaise does not threaten the | | | | teach us that, as democracy grows |
| foundations of the United States and | | | | entrenched, empires disintegrate |
| France - it does imperil the stability | | | | fitfully. Rome chose to keep its empire |
| and future of the likes of Ukraine, | | | | by sacrificing its republic. Britain |
| Serbia, and Moldova, Indonesia, Mexico, | | | | chose to democratize by letting go of |
| and Bolivia. | | | | its unwieldy holdings overseas. Both |
| Worse still, the West has transformed | | | | polities failed to uphold their |
| the ideal of democracy into an ideology | | | | erstwhile social institutions while they |
| at the service of imposing a new | | | | grappled with their smothering |
| colonial regime on its former colonies. | | | | possessions. |