p).
Regading feedom of association, the same concens itself with pemitting people in a given society to collectively defend, pusue as well as expess those inteests they egad o conside common. This feedom by vitue of inclusion into vaious human ights instuments as well as constitutions is consideed one of the basic feedoms. Sometimes used synonymously with feedom of assembly, feedom of expession could also entail the feedom to gathe fo the pupose of expessing, defending o pomoting those inteests consideed common. Fo counties that have neve enjoyed basic feedoms, this paticula feedom effectively gives citizens the powe to collectively influence both elected and appointed leades. In such a case, this feedom could be execised by way of eithe mass action o potests. Fo such counties, this feedom could be used by the citizeny as a symbol of displeasue with the uling class. Thus when an issue is consideed unpopula, those…...

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references, this freedom also facilitates the participation of members of the public in the making of key decisions. Thus in a country that has never enjoyed such an experience, the same could come in handy. In such a case, such a freedom would allow individuals to exercise their democratic right to not only vote but also take part in key decision making initiatives which could in one way or the other impact on their lives. This would also go a long way to further entrench accountability and participation which are critical ingredients for a society governed by the rule of law. It can be noted that in most instances, the violation of one freedom is often accompanied by the violation of another. Hence safeguarding freedom of expression would also help safeguard the other basic freedoms. However, as the Human Rights Education Associates note, significant progress has in the past been made in securing this freedom (n.p).

Regarding freedom of association, the same concerns itself with permitting people in a given society to collectively defend, pursue as well as express those interests they regard or consider common. This freedom by virtue of inclusion into various human rights instruments as well as constitutions is considered one of the basic freedoms. Sometimes used synonymously with freedom of assembly, freedom of expression could also entail the freedom to gather for the purpose of expressing, defending or promoting those interests considered common. For countries that have never enjoyed basic freedoms, this particular freedom effectively gives citizens the power to collectively influence both elected and appointed leaders. In such a case, this freedom could be exercised by way of either mass action or protests. For such countries, this freedom could be used by the citizenry as a symbol of displeasure with the ruling class. Thus when an issue is considered unpopular, those in position of authority would be courteous to implement the same as that could trigger mass protests. It is however important to note that just like all freedoms and rights, this freedom comes with several duties which citizens must observe while enjoying the same.

Yet another necessary freedom for those countries which have never enjoyed democracy or freedom is freedom of movement. It is important to note that the observance of this freedom has a significant impact on basic human rights of citizens within a given country. The denial of this freedom is catastrophic as it could have ripple effects on the enjoyment of other freedoms and rights.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be noted that the relevance of freedom and democracy cannot be overstated in a modern society. The U.S. government in that regard should be lauded for the steps it has taken over time to ensure that primary democratic principles are not only safeguarded but also advanced. Such efforts will inevitably have a positive impact on both regional and international stability going forward.

Democracy / Liberty
Is direct democracy desirable and/or possible today?

Is direct democracy desirable and/or possible today? The question is addressed first theoretically, with reference to Montesquieu's Spirit of the Laws, which actually categorizes direct democracy as one of the corruptions into which a democratic system can descend, by an insistence on too much egalitarianism. Direct democracy is considered as an ideal, which is desirable insofar as it offers a critique of contemporary politics, but whose possibility is limited by whether or not it can be feasibly implemented. Two contemporary case studies are brought in to examine the question further: the experiment with internet-organized direct democracy in Estonia, and the experiment with social-media-inspired direct democracy in the Occupy all Street movement. The Estonian model is critiqued for its heavy reliance on a highly vulnerable technological infrastructure, suggesting that direct democracy in Estonia is only possible for as long as Vladimir Putin refrains…...

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Works Cited

Bauerlein, Monika and Jeffery, Clara. The Job Killers: Why are Republicans determined to snuff the recovery? Mother Jones. November / December 2011 issue. Online. Accessed 28 February 2013 at:  http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/10/republicans-job-creation-kill 

Berlin, Isaiah. Two Concepts of Liberty. In Four Essays on Liberty. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1969. Online. Accessed 28 February 2013 at:  http://www.wiso.uni-hamburg.de/fileadmin/wiso_vwl/johannes/Ankuendigungen/Berlin_twoconceptsofliberty.pdf

Democracy
In some quarters, democracy has been regarded one of mankind's greatest institutional achievements. With that in mind, democracy as a concept has been subject to extensive research over time and in a way, these studies have helped us understand the very nature of democracy and democratization. In this text, I will briefly explore the British and the American constitution with an aim of finding out which of the two is more democratic. Further, I will amongst other things come up with a clear and concise definition of democracy and in so doing highlight the idea of Beetham in regard to necessary democratic goods and rights (civil).

The American and the British Constitution: Which of the Two is more Democratic?

It should be noted that to determine which of these two constitutions is more democratic, there is a need to highlight some key differences between the two countries in terms of their constitution…...

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References

Barnett, H. & Jago, R. 2011. Constitutional & Administrative Law. 8th ed. Abingdon: Taylor & Francis.

Beetham, D. (2003). Democratic Quality: Freedom and Rights, [online] Available at: <   [Accessed 30th November 2011].http://cisac.stanford.edu/publications/democratic_quality_freedom_and_rights/ >

Dautrich, K. & Yalof, D.A. 2011. American Government: Historical, Popular, and Global Perspectives. Boston: Cengage Learning.

Hart, P. & Uhr, J. ed., 2008. Public Leadership: Perspectives and Practices. Canberra: ANU E. Press.

Democracy in Ancient Greece
Class XXXX, Section XXXX, Fall, 2012

The term democracy was invented by ancient Greece, and it came about through the system of involving all the people in ruling of their land. The ancient Athenian Greeks have been credited with developing democratic rule. Though their governing system may not have been very democratic as present day democracies, it allowed participation of diverse social class of people. This paper will attempt to answer the following questions, what are the conditions underlying the rise and fall of democracy in ancient Greece. At what point in the decline of Greek democracy do Socrates and Plato come in, and why were they advancing a return to aristocratic elitism rather than enthusiastic supporters of direct democracy?

Conditions underlying the rise and fall of democracy in ancient Greece

Ancient Greece was a made up of loose small independent states that were known as poleis, it is estimated…...

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References

Cartledge, P (2011). Critics and Critiques of Athenian Democracy: Retrieved on 29/6/2012 from:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greekcritics_01.shtml 

Preston, K (2003). Anarchist Law: Some Hard Questions: Retrieved on 29/6/2012 from:  http://attackthesystem.com/law-and-anarchism/ 

Smitha, F (2011).Greeks, Democracy and Slavery (650-501 BCE): Macrohistory: Retrieved on 29/6/2012 from:  http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/hell01.htm

Democracy in Tunisia
Democratization is a process that involves a transition advocated by either people, or political leaders who eliminate authoritarian systems and created democratic systems of government. However, in most cases, the people initiated the change, which the political leaders had no, option, but join the people (Huntington 109). Owing to the many forms of democratic regimes, variations are inevitable. Some of the regimes include parliamentary and presidential regimes. Some are a combination of presidential and parliamentary which further create two-party and multiparty systems (Huntington 109). Notably, all democratic systems are central to an election, which allows people to choose their leaders. Therefore, they have similar institutional elements (competitive elections that establish their identity) unlike authoritarian regimes, which lack an institutional element.

Although Huntington (109) suggests that presidential and parliamentary systems are forms of democratic regimes, Horowitz (73) suggests that both systems are capable of causing potential conflict. This is because…...

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Works Cited

Ackerman, Bruce. "To Save Egypt, Drop the Presidency." New York Times. New York Times, 7

June 2013. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. .

Bellin, Eva. "Drivers of democracy: Lessons from Tunisia." Brandeis University (2013): 75.

Middle East Brief. Web. 6 October 2013.

" That aspect of military or naval service brought every soldier / sailor into a similar consciousness of service, no matter what socioeconomic class he had come from in the thenian society of that era.
However, Raaflaub is quick to point out (142) that universal military service notwithstanding, there was a pecking order on board Greek warships; the hoplites (heavily armed infantry soldiers) certainly had a higher level of respect and responsibility than the oarsmen and archers. The hoplites and horsemen were seen as "much more noble and important and take far more seriously" than citizens who were trained to shoot the bow and row the boats (Raaflaub 142). nd a telling fact when reviewing the level of respect that hoplites received vs. The level of respect awarded oarsmen and archers is in the list of those who were killed in action.

Thucydides, an thenian aristocrat who was exiled and later chronicled…...

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Aristotle's points were wrapped around the idea of human nature, Ober writes on page 169; Aristotle granted that indeed democracy had achieved a "relatively high level of instrumental success" when it came to reducing "class tension" and recognizing "the validity of mass wisdom" when important decisions are required of the society (Ober 169). But Aristotle's obsession with naturalism led him to believe that simple workers could not "achieve true political ar te" (ar te meant "virtue" or being the best that one possibly can be) (Ober 169). What ordinary citizens will need in order to be on an intellectual level with "leisured aristocrats," Aristotle believed, is a "formal and normative education" based on "practical reasoning" rather than "democratic knowledge" (Ober 169).

Evolution of Democracy: Tocqueville

The noted writer and Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville, who visited the U.S. To study democracy in 1831 described European aristocracy - which preceded attempts at democracy - as "...constituted by a ranked order of command, loyalty, and responsibility that embedded the individual as one small link in a large societal chain" (Janara 2004 p. 773). And that societal chain extended "...from serfs to servants to nobles to God," Janara writes, paraphrasing Tocqueville (Janara 777). Moreover, fealty and chivalry, along with "elaborate rules of manner and professional and legal class distinctions" established one's place in a "seemingly eternal order of mutuality" that embraced a sense of "security, determinacy, and certainty," Janara continues, adding that at

Democracy
In a fair and free election, the resultant outcome comes from the majority ruling of votes. In an ideal democratic environment, such votes are the consequence of all participant voters -- the legitimate populace as allowed for such voting -- and thus officials are elected in service of the majority of the peoples. However, this utopic democracy is limited in that not all participant voters are knowledgeable in decisions affecting themselves and affecting the government. The other branch of democracy -- one of polyarchy -- calls for the distribution of power within a selective few branches, with which to run government. This is only a minimal progression out of the term "monarchy." Why not, then, a view of democracy that encompass both types of governance -- one in which the population is allowed election of those numerous knowledgeable representatives with the proper background into voting for the electoral democracy? That…...

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References

Dahl, Robert. "Polyarchal Democracy."

Diamond, Larry. "Defining and Developing Democracy."

Fishkin, James S. "The Voice of the People."

Miller, Nicholas R. "Pluralism and Social Choice."

With this approach in mind, it is impossible to consider a viable implementation of Western democracy in the conditions in which there are few, if any, common points to relate moral values and norms to.
Despite this current inability of Western countries to export democracy, there are certain underlying factors that could be taken into account in future attempts. Failure notwithstanding, it is clear that the future of the world lies in an international society that will eventually refuse war as means of conducting politics. Having this in mind, it can be said that there is no singular factor which determines the failure of establishing a democratic system in countries such as Iraq or African nations. There is more the issue of a mix of factors which determine a negative result.

On the one hand, there are cultural differences between western countries and the rest. Taking the Muslim world as an…...

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References

Collier, Paul. "The market for civil war." Foreign Policy. May 2003, Issue 136.

Diamond, Larry. "What Went Wrong in Iraq." Foreign Affairs, Sep/Oct 2004, Vol. 83, Issue 5.

Dunleavy, Patrick, and Brendan O'Leary. Theories of the state. The Politics of Liberal Democracy. London and New York: Macmillan and Meredith, 1987.

Fearon, James D. "Iraq's Civil War." Foreign Affairs Mar/Apr 2007, Vol. 86, Issue 2.

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. oday, 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, or what we know here as inalienable rights. his paper will argue from Platter's point-of-view, and will agree that liberalism is essential to democracy and vice versa because one facet feeds of the other and must thus exist concomitantly. [1: Plattner, M.F. (1998). "Liberalism and Democracy: Can't Have One Without the Other." Foreign Affairs. Retrieved April 15, 2011, . ]

Plattner first states that liberal democracy means both democracy and liberalism. Democracy, according to the author, means rule for the people…...

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Though Plattner makes a good case for his thesis of the link between liberalism and democracy there are other political scientists, such as Fareed Zakaria, who believe that most democracies today are "illiberal," and thrive on this illiberality-according to Zakaria, "Illiberal democracy is a growing industry," which does not include freedoms such as we know in this country. This "growth" is due to the fact that these countries benefit from calling themselves so called democratic states, yet they offer none of the freedoms to suit this theory. However, what Zakaria fails to mention, according to Plattner, is that many of such democracies have, indeed, begun opening up to liberal ideals. As his last point, Plattner successfully proves his thesis by stating: [4: Zakaria, F. (1997). "The Rise of Illiberal Democracy." Foreign Affairs, 76(6) . Retrieved April 15, 2011, <  http://msuweb.montclair.edu/~lebelp/FZakariaIlliberalDemocracy1997.pdf >.]

"It is precisely the illiberal democracies that Zakaria maligns that are likely to be the most receptive audience for the promotion of constitutional liberalism that he recommends."

This paper has thus argued in favor of the Platter thesis which concludes that liberalism and democracy are inextricably linked and that one feeds off the other and thus they eventually and inevitably must and will coexist. Plattner's discussion is thus important in view of the many nations in this world that must still open up to the ideas of liberalism.

The fall of the Berlin all would show the genuine commitment to that goal as those
recently liberated coalesced to the democratic orientation of the larger
nation. For Russia, by contrast, a public's absence of exposure to the
systems and conditions of democracy has rendered a people today deeply
susceptible to exploitation, with the current Russian leader, former chief
of the Soviet KGB, Vladamir Putin, imposing suppression of political
opposition, journalistic freedom and social liberties. Here, democracy has
proven less-than-feasible due to an absence of internal will to or resource
to seize on the opportunity. A history of oppression has rendered
democracy abstract and unattainable, even in the face of charades such as
Russian free elections.
In an article by Dahl, we are presented with an argument recommending
certain ground rules for the effective adoption of democratic order. Among
them, the author makes a strong case in favor of the maintenance of
normalized electoral periods and processes. As the author argues, "if we
accept the…...

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Works Cited

Dahl, R.A. (2005). What Political Institutions Does Large-Scale Democracy

Require. Political Science Quarterly, 120(2), 187-197.

Schmitter, P.C. & Karl, T.L. (1991) What Democracy Is. . . and Is Not.

Journal of Democracy.

DEMOCRACY IN IRAQ & AFGHANISAN
Democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan

he equal and free practice of political self-determination is enabled by the cultural, economic and social conditions which are encompassed by democracy. his paper will address the democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq. he historical changes passed by the Iraqi society, the last democracy produced by the military invasion, the role of religion in the enhancement of conditions of Afghanistan, and the role of religion in the enhancement ofconditions of developing countries are the other topics that will be reflected within the paper.he eviction of two of the most repressive regimes of the world, that of the aliban and that of Saddam Hussein has been resulted by the invasions of both Iraq and Afghanistan. For each, the stated goal was the democracy promotion. In Iraq, the democracy emerged in limited significant ways, after the U.S.-led invasion.Iraq is ranked poorly by the ranking and…...

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The equal and free practice of political self-determination is enabled by the cultural, economic and social conditions which are encompassed by democracy. In the creation, development and proposal of laws, all eligible citizens equally participate and such form of government is known as, democracy. This paper will address the democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq. The historical changes passed by the Iraqi society, the last democracy produced by the military invasion, the role of religion in the enhancement of conditions of Afghanistan, and the role of religion in the enhancement ofconditions of developing countries are the other topics that will be reflected within the paper.

Discussion

The eviction of two of the most repressive regimes of the world, that of the Taliban and that of Saddam Hussein has been resulted by the invasions of both Iraq and Afghanistan. For each, the stated goal was the democracy promotion. However, for either weapons of mass destruction and elimination of haven to terrorists vs. war was not the initial rational while bringing democracy to the two countries (Enterline & Michael Greig, 2008). In Iraq, the democracy emerged

The fact is, people vote outside of their party regularly. Consider the Reagan Democrats or the Clinton Republicans, who crossed party lines to support presidential candidates. Gov. George Pataki, a Republican, has been repeatedly re-elected in New York, one of America's most liberal states, and Michael Bloomberg has twice been elected mayor of New York City, one of the country's most liberal cities. These types of scenarios play out at the national, state and local levels across the country. But such anomalies would be impossible if people completely identified ideologically with their own political parties, which would seemingly preclude voting for another party.

If many people are not ideologically committed to their political parties, why do they register as members of those parties at all? The answer is that the financial power of the Republican and Democratic parties give them a stranglehold on the American elections process. For example, it has…...

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Works Cited

Defining Democracy" (No Date). Retrieved Oct. 30, 2006 from the U.S. Department of State Web site at http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/whatsdem/whatdm2.htm.

News Q&A: How many presidents have lost the popular vote but won through the Electoral College?" (1995). Retrieved Oct. 30, 2006 from the Web site for Access My Library at  http://www.accessmylibrary.com/comsite5/bin/pdinventory.pl?pdlanding=1&referid=2930&purchase_type=ITM&item_id=0286-6340630 .

US midterm election spending to hit record 2.6 billion dollars: research group" (2006). AFP, Oct. 24. Retrieved Oct. 30, 2006 at  http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061024/ts_alt_afp/usvotemoney .

What is the Electoral College" (No Date). Retrieved Oct. 30, 2006 from the Web site for the National Archives and Records Administration at  http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html .

Democracy and Military Intervention
Democracy

Democracy may be a way of life in the United States but elsewhere in the world it is a foreign concept. As democracy spreads around the globe there are many places where its development has been impeded by the intervention of the military and the establishment of a military dictatorship. But what factors are likely to produce military intervention? Brian Clive Smith, in his book "Understanding Third World Politics: Theories of Political Change and Development" discusses these factors and includes among many such factors as GNP per capita, size of military and/or defense expenditures, and social or religious instabilities. (Smith, 2003) The first factor describes the percentage of the Gross National Product each person receives, the poorer the people, the likelier military intervention seems. Next, because the military often plays a role in politics in third world nations, if the military feels they are being under-represented in…...

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References

Fuller, Thomas. (7 March 2013). "In Myanmar, Pro-Democracy Party Meets in Bid

to Revitalize." New York Times. Retrieved from  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/08/world/asia/in-myanmar-pro-democracy-party-meets-for-first-time.html?_r=0 

Gulhane, Joel. (27 Feb. 2013). "Obama calls on Morsi to 'protect democratic principles'." Daily News Egypt. Retrieved from  http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/02/27/obama-calls-on-morsi-to-protect-democratic-principles/ 

Smith, Brian Clive. (2003). Understanding Third World Politics: Theories of Political

(Gutman, n.d, pp. 18 -- 24) (Fishkin, n.d, 25 -- 28)
The biggest weakness of the deliberative process is: that many minorities will often have major issues that are overlooked. This is problematic, because these kinds of groups inside a community will have their own special needs. In some cases, they want to address past injustices that have occurred. While at other times, they are seeking to gain advantages that can help members of their community.

In a deliberative democracy, the views of the different minorities can often be ignored by the influences of the majority. Where, they (the majority) could force these minority groups to give up more, based upon the influence they have in the process. Once this occurs, it means that you will see policies and laws enacted, that will give advantages to one particular group over the other. (Gutman, n.d, pp. 18 -- 24) (Fishkin, n.d, 25…...

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Bibliography

Fishkin, J. (n.d.). The Voice of the People. 25 -- 28.

Gutman, A. (n.d.). Democracy and Disagreement. 18 -- 24.

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. Ironically, it was Bush himself who should have come under investigation; he got out of going to Vietnam by having his father get him assigned to the Air National Guard, and he failed to complete his required service there.
Meanwhile, many younger voters are not getting their election information from TV or from newspapers; they are going online. A PE report ("Young high-speed users flock to internet for campaign news") shows that about 21% of Americans now see the Internet as…...

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Works Cited

Kennedy, Robert F. "Was the 2004 Election Stolen?" Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 26, 2007 at  http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10432334/was_the_2004_election_stolen .

McCullagh, Declan. "Liberal Net rules spawn political attack ads." C/NEW News.

Retrieved April 26, 2007, at  http://news.com.com/liberal+Net+rules+spawn+political+attack+ads/2100-1028_3-5207277.html .

Media Matters for America. "Submerging the truth about Swift Boat Vets on Hannity

It is difficult to answer any question that asks about how the founders felt about anything.  While there were many more people involved in the American Revolution, resulting in some disagreement about who was a founder, there is a list of 10 people that consistently get mentioned as founders or founding fathers.  However, these 10 people were not ideologically identical.  In fact, there was a substantial amount of disagreement among them about a number of topics, including the rule of the average person in democracy.  To get a better feel for their competing ideas, you can reference....

The term global perspective actually has a few different meanings, depending on the discipline.  It can refer to an individual’s personal lens and how they view the globe; to various perspectives about an issue from around the globe; and to views linked to globalization and the impact of individual or nation-wide actions on the world and its inhabitants.   We are going to provide a range of topic suggestions that incorporate all of these different definitions of global perspectives, with the most suggestions coming from the last topic, as it is the most commonly used across academic disciplines.

A-levels....