Thus, the people are under the thumb of their leaders, and may be "settling" for autocracy because they see democracy as unattainable and out of reach. Take the Russians, for example, who had a real shot at democracy when the Soviet Union fell, and have instead allowed Putin to create another autocracy not unlike much of the Soviet regime before the fall. Indeed, people may choose autocracy, or they may be bullied into it, or they simply may be more comfortable with it, because it is so ingrained in their lives. Gee does make valid points throughout his essay, including the notation that most large, successful countries fail without democracy. Rome and Greece are two of the dominant democratic cultures that notoriously fell from power and crumbled as their democracies crumbled. What does that say about autocracies? That they will do the same thing? Gee writes, "It would be equally naive to think that the capitalist autocrats of Moscow and Beijing have invented a formula for governing forever without the nuisance of elections. Some day soon, their people will want something better, and in time they will get it" (Gee, par. 9). That may be true, and Gee cites countries like the Philippines that have proved this true, but it is still an assumption. When given the chance, Russia instituted "democratic" elections that elected an autocrat, and the Iraqis elected a government...
Perhaps it is equally naive to think that every people in the world desire a democracy, and that their cultures and values support a democracy. China and Russia seem to be clear examples of countries that are perfectly happy without a democracy - perhaps some people really do not desire a choice, and are happy with the status quo.
Org)"none of the men had actually served on the Swift boats that Mr. Kerry commanded." There is much more in the way of empirical evidence to show that this attack campaign was false, but the point is made that lies wrapped in glossy TV commercials during election time can be effective. In Kerry's case, he chose not to lash out at the lies, but many now feel he should have.
Democracy According to Marc Plattner, in the beginning of the 20th century, most democratic countries were found in North America and, with some exceptions, Western Europe. Today, after much of the world has shed its colonialist past, democracy has appeared to be more widespread. Yet, with democracy comes a great responsibility for a fair form of government and a liberal state, which allows for many freedoms and various forms of opinion,
Political Parties and Democracy A central claim of democratic theory is that democracy induces governments to be responsive to the preferences of the people. Political parties serve to organize politics in almost every modern democracy in the world (in both presidential and parliamentary systems). Some observers claim that the parties are what induce democracies to be responsive. In this essay, the author will show this point of democracy being dependent upon
21st Century American 'Democracy': The Best Government that Money Can Buy Within polarized, interest group-dominated 21st century United States life, most Americans still cling to the idea, despite abundant evidence to the contrary, that we live in a democracy. In today's America, however, that idea is more quaint than accurate. Instead, as the article suggests, America is more a pseudo-democracy than a real one, in which special interest groups (and, as
Neo-Liberalistic Legal Concepts on Nations With Distinct Legal Tradition (Common, Civil, Socialist) This review of the related literature focuses on broad definitions of the law as historically legislated and then as practiced in three countries: Malaysia, Indonesia and China. Common law, civil law and socialist law will be defined separately and then as they each apply to the country which has used that system as its focus for legal practice.
American Democracy A nation wherein the masses elect representatives to the government, thus ensuring the law is shaped by public opinion (so long as this opinion is Constitutional) is considered a republic. This was the aim of America's Founding Fathers. Democracy closely resembles a Republic; however, a key point of distinction between the two is the representatives. The founders were worried about citizens' criticism that they were assuming too much control
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