Democracies and Progress
Most people are for the opinion that America is a democratic country. This is also embodies in the American constitution which has it that the citizens have a right to determine how they are governed. Based on this understanding, it should not be assumed that al people understand the meaning of democracy. As such, there is the need to define what democracy is and how it comes along.
According to Alvarez (2010), there are two main types of democracies. These are representative democracy and direct democracy. Representative democracy is a situation where the people elect leaders who are to present them in the governing body. This body can be the parliament, the congress or the House of Representatives. The people from a given area elect an individual, through free and fair elections, who is to present them and talk out for their rights in these houses. There is also the direct democracy. This applies in situations where the people have to actually vote on every single issue or policy that has to be passed. In other words, it is known as the rule by the civil society. With reference to these two types of democracies, America falls in the category of representative democracy. Every four years, the people go to the polls where they elect people to the different offices in the land. These people get the legal mandate to be in these offices as they have been allowed by the people. As such, when the issue of democracy is mentioned, these two types must be called to mind; they are the pillars on which democracy is found. To sum it up, democracy can be defined by the famous words of Abraham Lincoln that democracy is a government of the people, by the people, for the people.
For quite a long time, America has been trying to export democracy to the rest of the world. This is done with reference to the American constitution where they believe in the unalienable human rights. As such, when Americans talk about exporting democracy, it is about making other nations adopt the mode of governance that gives the people their freedom. However, the reception of this move has not received positive response from all corners of the world. Craner (2006) observes that the Middle East is one of the regions in which the opposition to the democratization comes about. Craner (2006) further observes that this cruelty to democratization arose from the manner in which American former president, George Bush, introduced the issue. He argued that the America’s support for non-democratic leaders in the region led to an escalation in terrorist activities, and he set out to stamp such activities out. Based on this belief, the people in the region took the democratization quite negatively. They felt that by trying to change them, America was actually trying to impose control over them. This is why they ended up rejecting it.
Hobsbawm (2005) also airs the same concerns by observing that the move to democratize the nations of the world is not only quixotic but also dangerous. It cannot be denied that America is a super power in many aspects. However, when it comes to the governing of different countries, trying to impose some forms of leadership could count as an act to control a nation that has its sovereignty to protect. This is the reason as to why to date, the process has faced so much resistance. The situation is aggravated by the fact that some regions such as the Middle East have totally different ideologies from those of the US. Trying to change their point of view can be quite futile.
Though there are challenges associated with the democratization process, it still cannot be denied that the process is quite important. As such, America could have chances of success only if it applied the right measures. One of these measures is to apply the diplomatic missions. As Hobsbawm (2005) observes, rather than using forceful measures such as the military to bring down the non-democratic measures in order to implant a democratic regime, the country should just apply the diplomatic methods. If the military is used, the people are likely to response with equal violence. However, when peaceful methods are adopted, there are higher chances of success as the people can come together and agree. Another factor is that the focus should not be just on the top governing body. Rather, the country should try to appease the people and introduce them to the democratic ways by teaching them what democracy is and why it is better than other regimes. Eventually, the people would actually demand to be governed through a democratic government.
In conclusion, this essay has looked at the issue of democracies. It started by defining what democracy is, and then looked at the attempts of America at democratizing other nations of the world. Reasons have been given as to why the process has been slow to pick, especially in the Middle East. However, it has been observed that if America applied diplomatic missions and starting the process from the grass roots, then there are chances of success.
Alvarez, J. (2010). Political Systems in the World. New York, NY: Springer.
Craner, L. (2006). Will U.S Democratization Policy Work? Middle East Quarterly, Summer 2006, pp. 3-10. Retrieved on 21st Nov. 2012 from http://www.meforum.org/942/will-us-democratization-policy-work
Hobsbawm, E. (2005). The Dangers of Exporting Democracy. The Guradian, 22 Jan, 2005. Retrieved on 21st Nov. 2012 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/jan/22/usa.comment
