The worst years of human history are well and truly behind us. Democracy, as a political system, reigns supreme with the fall of the Berlin Wall. More countries today have established democracies than ever in human history and which has led to both the social and economic development of mankind. Still, for all its shortcomings, there are a number of benefits to this system that a monarchy, oligarchy or even authoritarian or totalitarian regimes cannot offer.
Even if we are in the New Millennium, most of these changes took place during the times known as the Third Wave Democratization and which took place decades before most of us were even born (Huntington 21). There were both anti-democratic and nondemocratic regimes in existence but that number, for a variety of reasons, have reduced in number. With every other type of political system declining when it came to performance and legitimacy, the people became far more aware of their political rights and wanted to have a say in governance, just as in countries that were democratic in nature over long periods of time (Huntington 46). Regime brutality, the total disregard for basic human rights and the failure to bring about any sense of economic stability much less prosperity were some of the reasons why most people leaning to the left-wing ideology began to appreciate the benefits that democracy had to offer. Of course, there were other forces much like the Catholic Church, the United States and the European Union, the fall of the Soviet Union and an increase in awareness and education among citizens of these nations that led to the eventual success of democracy, paving the way to a world that we inhabit right now (Huntington 86). A world that makes value judgments, decisions, takes important actions based on the foundational principles of democracy. Yet despite its unrivalled successes, this world that we inhabit is also changing and as a result, the old methods of state-based democracies continue to struggle with the blinding pace of globalization that rapid developments in technology have made possible (Crouch 35). Universalism, in stark contrast to particularism, is a growing trend where people want to come together as one.
Which brings us to the real question: can a state of global democracy ever come into being? To which the answer is that we are already in a transition to this state, whether we are able to observe the changes or not. It’s a state that is best described as post-democracy where the values and principles of democracy are now well entrenched in nations throughout the world but are still seeking change, thanks to the emergence of the multinational corporation, an increase in transparency from governments with the rise of citizen journalism, social media and the like as well a number of movements and world bodies that continue to form in light of how the world shrinks with each passing day (Crouch 31).
As any aspiring social scientist will tell you: this is a difficult prediction to make based on historical and political changes of the past that have swung both ways. Yet the key to it all is globalization, a growing sense of connected using internet-based technology and the ability to dictate terms to our governments using the media as a forum for policy change (Crouch 21). If global democracy is to truly emerge over the next the few decades or centuries, a one world body much like the World Social Forum would have to take the reins of government with equal participation from all nations (Whitaker 2). The United Nations has truly failed in its goal to embody this goal - and where this new world body will have to iron out the kinks, in the form of wars, religious violence, disputes between nations and even bridge the economic gap between Third and First World countries. Without a doubt, this seems like a challenging and arduous task ahead given that the old ways of governance struggle to keep up with these changes, thanks to party or national interests that have to be upheld covertly or overtly - a shortcoming of democracy that has truly run its course - and as practiced by the appointed members of any Cabinet (Schumpeter 278). An aspect that serves as a barrier to social justice, both nationally and internationally, even if democracy is way better than all the other types of political systems that we have encountered in the past.
As painfully obvious as this has become, the changes that we have seen across the world in recent times, is a cause for hope, where a global democracy, if not actively sought after, will be thrust upon us and future generations in time. In fact, I would go as far as to say that it is inevitable now that technology and the media has brought us closer. If anything, there a growing understanding of how connected and interdependent we all are on each other. Having said that, it won’t be long before global referendums on international policy could become a reality, thanks to these tools that we have at our disposal and which could transform democracy in its current state into one that seeks the common good of one and all on a broader scale.
No matter how idealistic this might seem, there’s still a lot that we can benefit from each other regardless of location and in being able to marry cultures, ideas, points of view, we can usher in an era where future generations can truly make a break with history and live in a world with post-humanistic ideals. If it isn’t obvious already, only a global democracy can help us achieve that.
Works Cited
Huntington, Samuel P. The Third Wave Democratization in the Late Twentieth Century. University of Oklahoma Press, 1991.
Ferreira, Francisco W. Towards a New Politics What Future For The World Social Forum? Zed Books, 2007.
Schumpeter, Joseph A. Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy. 3rd ed., Harpers Perennial Modern Classics, 2008.
Crouch, Colin. Post-Democracy. 1st ed., Polity, 2004.
