Democracy
“Progresses and
Challenges”
By MEY Sopheakdei, 2011
I. Introduction
a. History Background
In the new era of globalization of democracy we live in;
for the first time in history, most people in the world live under tolerably
democratic rule. This upsurge in democracy reflects the transformation of the
world’s political landscape in the final quarter of the twentieth century. Over
this short period, the number of democracies more than doubled. Democracy
expanded beyond its core of Western Europe and former settler colonies to
embrace Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, more of Asia, and parts
of Africa.
The shift to democracy, while important in itself, will
also have international ramifications. It is likely to contribute to peace and
prosperity since democracies rarely go to war with each other and are more
likely to form trade agreements than are non-democracies. The terrorists who
attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, we should note, originated
from authoritarian rather than democratic countries.
As democracy continues to spread, so it becomes more
varied. Understanding the forms taken by democracy in today’s world is
therefore a central task for comparative politics. We examine the established
democracies of Europe and its settler colonies, with their emphasis on
representative and limited government. We then discuss the newer democracies
emerging from the ashes of communist and military rule.
However, we will find out the progresses and challenges
of democracies in the new era of democracy with the beginning of origins of
democracy itself and we will take back to the fifth century BC to the world’s
most influential example of self-government ancient Athens.
To
clear understand on the progresses and challenges of democracy in the world, we
need to know the key issues which will be detailed below. In this topic, we
will discuss many main points which relevant to the world democracies and its
forms through the world democracy and its effect to the world stability and the
solutions with cases in the whole world. The democracy also meets challenges
through the development of political, economic and social aspect.
b. Formulation Questions
What are the progresses and challenges
of democracy in the current time?
Why does democracy meet challenges to
be implemented in the world?
How those challenges to be tackled?
c. Objective and Advantage
Democracies which are important to human beings,
nowadays, become the critical thought among the other issues in the world in
which to study on democracies have many important following objectives:
a.
To
analyze the democracy in the new era of globalization.
b.
To
seek out the progresses and challenges of democracy through various factors.
c.
To
explain the importance of democracy for the world political stability, economic
development, and social welfare.
d.
To
find out the solutions for reduction on world issues of new era of democracy.
To conduct the research on the topic “Democracy: progress and challenges”
perfectly, we need to choose the major elements including the progresses and
challenges of world democracy in political, economic, and social aspects in
which the world government and institutions’ society play the important role to
protect and promote the political,
economic and social welfare. Moreover, we would like to seek the solution of
democratic challenges which causes to violations on political and economic
freedom.
To
seek the truth that what have happened around the world through the new era
globalization of democracy, people scrim for help while the government or
private sectors violate their rights and freedom with individual own property
and so on which all of those things belong to them.
d.
Scope
of the study
In order to
complete this task, we need to spend some times as follow, for the first week
we find out and surf the internet relevant to the documents through varies
websites and including books, newspapers, and second week, we collect all data
and start to set up the specific source to the topic, the third week, after the
teacher correct the topic, we prepare documents and produce the assignment
papers plan to submit to instructor as well as prepare for the presentation.
Also, we start writing book. This research paper is studied only the progresses
and challenges in the world in the year from 2000 to 2010.
II. Understanding of Democracy
Wherever we go, in the north or in the south side of the
world we always hear the word democracy which is useful for human beings in
this world and it also brings harmonious and happy society. Even though, the
south side of the world is the part of poor countries or developing countries
or third world countries they still need democracy to find the welfare of human
being. Of course, the word democracy
derived from the two Greek root words which Kratia means population and Demos
means rule and if we combine these words together it will mean the rule by the
people. Actually, democracy has the origins from the fifth century BC in the
ancient Athens. The principles of democracy in that time is that government
belong to people, government work for people and government created by people.
Through these principles we can see that citizens participated strongly in
politics or creating policy for their country with their governments.
Since then
democracy continues to spread, so it becomes more varied forms in the world
society because there are many countries around the world practice different
form of democracy, so from one country to another democracy is different.
Actually, Cambodia is a liberal democracy according to the principle of the
1993 constitution in which states in the article 51that Cambodia adopts a
liberal multi-party democracy policy. Actually, the word democracy begins with
the idea that the people are the ultimate source of the power of the
government. That is, without the support of the majority of the people,
expressed through their vote, the government lacks of authority. On the other
hand, liberal democracy is meant to ensure the government is truly
representative and that the terms of the members of the legislative and
executive bodies are limited since they must either be reelected or replaced on
the regular, periodic basis.
Moreover,
liberal democracy also has the concept of the separation of powers. Not only
the terms of Cambodian political institutional bodies, but also their powers be
kept separated from each other. In other words, we can say that one branch of
the government cannot interfere in the operations of any other branch of the
government. Through regimes, Cambodian political situations have met a lot of
challenges because of the overlap of powers between one body of the government
to others Cambodia had changed many regimes and political ideologies from
communist to democrat and from democratic to communist. Therefore, the best
purpose is that Cambodia should be chose or choose to practice the liberal
democracy in the countries.
Furthermore,
liberal democracy is also focused on rule of law in which it is important for
Cambodia because Cambodia used to pass many cruel regimes and the rule of law
is to make country full with democracy and human rights. When we think of rule
of law we always focus on the law system in the country in which government rule
the country through law and all people equal before law. They never consider
the rank of the positions of any people and no high official or high ranking if
they breach the law they will be punished by the law through court. However,
liberal democracy brings Cambodia peace and stability in the country.
On the other hand, democracy begins with the idea that
people are the ultimate source of the power of the government. Moreover, a
democracy is a representative form of government, that is, without the support
of the majority of the people, expressed through their vote, the government
lacks authority. Therefore, the democracy consists of four basic elements:
Ø
A political system for choosing and replacing the
government through free and fair election
Ø
The active participation of the people, as citizens,
in politics and civil life
Ø
Promote of human right of all citizens
Ø
A rule of law in which the laws and procedures apply
equally to all citizens
Recent years, many countries in the world begin to absorb
the ideology of democracy because they see that the democratic countries could
develop their countries faster and the people who live the in the democratic
countries can survive themselves easily and with harmonious lives. The ideology of democracy is modernizing the
world after the World War II in which all most people around the world call for
democracy and they need democracy in their countries because they think that
democracy is the best way to bring development and harmonious societies.
The idea of democracy
derives its power and significant, by contrast, from the idea of
self-determination: that is, from the notion that members of political
community- citizens- should be able to choose freely the conditions of their
own association, and that their choices should constitute the ultimate
legitimating of the form and direction of their polity.[1]
Furthermore, there is probably no single word with more
meanings than democracy. Twentieth century dictators misused the word to
persuade subjects that they lived in the just system. That mean some countries say
the word of the democracy just the mean is not the real one such as Cambodia in
the 1975 to 1979 in
which they called Cambodia as Democratic Country. In those countries, democracy
is just the label of the political system, but the real is not. Actually, the
Soviet Union used to claim it was the most democratic system in the world and
most communist countries are called democratic. Democracy does not always equal
freedom. Parties and elections can be used to bring dictatorial regimes power.
Of course, democracy needs thoughtful citizens, limits on power, rule of law,
and human and civil rights. No every country that calls itself a democracy is
full democracy. So, the democracy will
be different from one country to another and we will consider the differences
of democracy.
a. Forms of Democracy
Democracy has
taken a number of forms, both in theory and practice. The following kinds are
not exclusive of one another: many specify details of aspects that are
independent of one another and can co-exist in a single system. Democracy has
many forms in the world globalization in which from one to another country
democracy is practiced differently and however, we will examine and consider
some of those forms in order to reflect with the modernization of the world.
1. Direct Democracy
Direct democracy
is a political system where the citizens participate in the decision-making
personally, contrary to relying on intermediaries or representatives. The
supporters of direct democracy argue that democracy is more than merely a
procedural issue. A direct democracy gives the voting population the power to:
- Change constitutional laws,
- Put forth initiatives, referendums and suggestions for laws,
- Give binding orders to elective officials, such as revoking them before the end of their elected term, or initiating a lawsuit for breaking a campaign promise.
Of
the three measures mentioned, most operate in developed democracies today. This
is part of a gradual shift towards direct democracies. Examples of this include
the extensive use of referendums in California
with more than 20 million voters. In Switzerland,
where five million voters decide on national referendums and initiatives
two to four times a year; direct democratic instruments are also well
established at the cantonal and communal level. Vermont
towns have been known for their yearly town meetings, held every March to
decide on local issues. No direct democracy is in existence outside the
framework of a different overarching form of government. Most direct
democracies to date have been weak forms, relatively small communities, usually
city-states.
The world is yet to see a large, fundamental, working example of direct
democracy as of yet, with most examples being small and weak forms.
Democracy is a form of government offering a workable
solution to the fundamental political problem of reaching collective decision
by peaceful means. This kind of democracy was happening since the fifth century
in Athens city. According to the definition of the direct democracy is that the
citizens themselves assemble to debate and decide on collective issues.
However, we cannot understand democracy simply by looking at contemporary
examples because this democracy was in the fifth century. Of course, the
meaning of democracy each to rule and be ruled in turn is the principle in
which this principle applied across all the institutions of government within
the city-community and all citizens could attend meeting of the assembly, serve
on the governing council and sit on the citizens’ juries because ancient Athens
continues to provide the archetypal example of direct democracy. All adult male
citizens had right to attend and speak at the assembly of the government.
History has judged that the direct democracy was in
ancient Athens because all citizens aged at least twenty could attend assembly
session and there address his peers, meeting were of citizens, not their
representatives. According to the history let us know that the assembly met
around forty times a years to settle issues put before it, including the issues
of war and so on at the ancient Athens time. Of course, we should not blind
ourselves to serious flaws in Athens’s little democracy because citizenship was
restricted to a small elite to govern the country and participation was not in
practice as extensive as the Athenians liked to claim because most citizens
were absent from most assembly meeting.
2. Representative Democracy
Representative
democracy involves
the selection of government officials by the people being represented. If the
head of state is also democratically
elected then it is
called a democratic republic. The most common mechanisms involve
election of the candidate with a majority or a plurality of the votes. The contrasts between
the classical democracy or direct democracy of ancient Athens in which most
citizenship is not longer an elite status because they have their own
representative through their voting. Moreover, democracies today are
representative rather than direct because the democratic principle has transmuted
from self-government to elected government.
Furthermore, the modern democracy is based on a liberal
philosophy in which the state’s scope is restricted by the constitution. This
limit is based on a distinction between public and private that would have been
unacceptable in classical Athens where citizens who lived an entirely private
life.
Representatives may be elected or become diplomatic representatives
by a particular district or represent the entire electorate proportionally proportional systems, with some using a
combination of the two. Some representative democracies also incorporate
elements of direct democracy, such as referendums.
A characteristic of representative democracy is that while the representatives
are elected by the people to act in their interest, they retain the freedom to
exercise their own judgment as how best to do so.
3. Liberal
Democracy
The scope of democracy is limited by constitutional
protection of individual rights, including freedom of assembly, property,
religion and speech. A Liberal democracy
is a representative democracy in which the ability of the elected
representatives to exercise decision-making power is subject to the rule of law,
and usually moderated by a constitution that emphasizes the protection of the
rights and freedoms of individuals, and which places constraints on the leaders
and on the extent to which the will of the majority can be exercised against
the rights of minorities. In a liberal democracy, it is possible for some
large-scale decisions to emerge from the many individual decisions
that citizens are free to make. In other words, citizens can "vote with
their feet" or "vote with their dollars", resulting in
significant informal government-by-the-masses that exercises many "powers"
associated with formal government elsewhere.
4.
New Democracy
New democracy is a democracy in which an authoritarian
legacy continues to influence political action and debate. To be sure, many new
democracies do seem to have consolidated by one crucial tests in which a
peaceful transfer of power through election. For example, the South Korean
presidential election of 1997 witnessed the first peaceful transfer of power to
the center-left in that country’s history. Actually, states had experienced at
least one change of government through the ballot box. Peaceful transfers have
also become almost routine in the world democracy.
Yet even when elections have succeeded in the delicate
task of replacing governing elite, most new democracies remain distinctive, and
the question is not whether they will consolidate but what exactly they are
consolidating into. The difficulties facing new democracy can be grouped into
two clusters: the political problems associated with an illiberal inheritance
and the economic problems caused by the combination of limited development and
extreme inequality.
b.
Waves
of Democratization
Democracy derived from the ancient Athens in which it
spread day by day to the world because it is thought that it will help the
world society and community stable and peaceful living and however, democracy
also has its waves in which it is from one generation to another they practice
it differently. A wave of democracy is a group of transitions from non-democracy
to democratic regimes that occur within a specified period of time and that
significantly outnumber transitions in the opposite direction during that
period. Three waves of democratization have occurred in the modern world.
1.
First
Wave of Democratization
The first modern democracies emerged in the first long
wave of democratization between 1828 and 1926. During this first wave nearly 30
countries established at least minimally democratic national institutions, including
Argentina, Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, The Netherlands, New
Zealand, The Scandinavian countries and the United State. Some of these
fledgling democracies were later overthrown by fascist, communist or military
dictatorships.
However, democracy did consolidate in the earliest
nineteenth century democratizations, including the United State and the United Kingdom.
We will examine these two transitions of the first wave in more detail, not
least because the USA remains the leading example of liberal democracy while
Britain usefully illustrates representative.
The emergence of democracy in the United State was rapid
but it was a transition nonetheless. The founders had thought of political
leadership in non-democratic terms, as the duty of a disinterested, leisured
gentry. However, the idea that citizens could only be represented fairly by
those of their own short quickly gained ground, supported by egalitarian spirit
of a frontier society.
2.
Second
Wave of Democratization
Second wave democracies differed in character from their
predecessors. Their liberal traditions were somewhat weaker s representation
through parties proved to be the stronger suit. Parties had gone unmentioned in
the American constitution but by the time of the second wave they had emerged
as the leading democratic instrument. Indeed,
Germany’s Basic Law codified their role in which the political parties shall
take part in forming the democratic will of the people. In
In several second wave democracies, the importance of
party was confirmed by the emergence of a single party which dominated national
politics for a generation such as Congress in India, the Christian Democrats in
Italy, the LDP in Japan and Labor in Israel.
3.
Third
Wave of Democratization
The
third wave democracies finally began in 1974 and continued until 1991. Their
main and highly diverse elements were:
·
The
end of right wing dictatorship in Southern Europe
·
The
retreat of the general in much of Latin American in the 1980s
·
The
collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe at the end of the
1980s
This
third wave has transferred the global political landscape in which the
predominance of democratic forms in today’s world itself places added pressure
on those non-democratic regimes that survive.
Within
the third wave, it is only the Southern European group that provides
consistently secure cases of democratic consolidation, aided by membership of
the European Union and economic development. The category of new democracy
remains central to understanding these uncertain regimes.
c. The Importance of Democracy
Through modernization of the new era of globalization,
democratic ideology is considered as the most important for world order
society. While war of economic and social interest is happening among some
countries in the world and because of the purpose of protection of human rights
war is also made whereas democracy is the purpose of eliminating the human
rights abuse in the authoritarian countries in this world. However, the democracy
is the new ideology for some people in authoritarian states in which they see
the democratic states live with what we say happiness with their freedom. We
know that human beings are born for free and protected from equal human being
and we regard ourselves as human beings who are superior to animals. Moreover,
we established the bill of human rights to protect ourselves from any kinds of physical
and mental abuses. When the democracy is rooted in the country harmonious and
prosperous lives of the people also occur. Democracy brings human rights
protection and equal live in the society.
Furthermore, democracy is the sacred medicine for abuse
of human property rights in the society and it also brings the rule of law in
which all people equal before the laws. From the very beginning of time, human
being has sought to discipline social relations for the greater good of all.
Very early, these relationships were defined around a leader, and religions
codified social order. Still today, religions discipline much of our behavior
and relationships. For over a thousand years, Cambodian society was organized
around a god king with absolute power. It is only during the twentieth century
that our practices were secularized. The Rule of Law should be an effective
means to enhance the wellbeing of the people. Moreover the importance of rule
of law:
-
Protect
property rights – If individuals and businesses are not confident that the
fruits of their productive efforts will be protected, they will be discouraged
to undertake investment, especially long term investments that is needed to
sustain economic growth and development. Instead, they may turn to speculation;
-
Enforce
contracts – Similarly, if individuals and businesses lack confidence that
contracts will be enforced and protected through the rule of law, their
incentive to engage in productive activity will erode;
-
Ensure
fair competition – A legal system that prohibits fair competition by creating
barriers for market entry will cause distortions in the economy and
misallocation of scarce resources;
-
Mobilize
and Disburse Financial Capital – In countries with weak rule of law, low public
confidence in the government and public institutions will also undermine trust
in financial institutions. In such an environment, it may be difficult to
mobilize capital from individuals, businesses and investors. Moreover, weak
rule of law will also limit the disbursement of financial capital because banks
may demand high collateral from borrowers to hedge against risk. This will slow
down capital accumulation and, hence, economic growth.
Within
democratic states, people are easy to have access to a free flow of information
because people have freedom of accessing information and getting any
information. Moreover, free flow of information is the kind of freedom of
expression within society and the world. In the era of globalization, democracy
is popular for people around the world because they have full freedom to get
what they want without violate to anyone and democracy bring freedom of
expression, so people have freedom to say what they have thought. Mass media is
also the kind of freedom of expression for people in which they have freedom to
publish their thoughts for the public.
The
best thing is equal natural resource for all in society. Government tries to
find the efficiency for society in which the society is getting the maximum
benefits its scarce resource and government also does the duty to make society
equity for all members. The benefits which government gets from scarce resource
and those benefits are distributed fairly among society’s members. Through
democratic society, society’s members can get the benefits from their society’s
scarce resource because government is able to provide those benefits from
scarce resource fairly to society.
Development will occur if that country is full of social
and political stability and the investment will flow to democratic countries.
Moreover, the democratic countries have the law enforcement and the contract
between investors and government will be guaranteed by the laws.
III. The Progresses of Democracy
Through the modern world democratic history, the
democracy is getting better from century to another in which its ideology
spread through the world and people around the world absorb its concepts. Even
though democracy is original from Ancient Athens, it spread from one country to
another through the world and from the north to south every fast. Everyone
claim for democracy because democracy has its components such as human rights
protection, rule of laws, and choosing and replacing government leaders through
free and fair election. We will examine the progresses of democracy through its
regime from one time to another in the world history from its origin, after World
War I, after World War II, after cold war, and the current development below.
a.
The
Origin of Democracy
The term
democracy first appeared in ancient Greek political and philosophical thought. The
Greek city state of Athens, led by Cleisthenes,
established what is generally held as the first democracy in 507 BCE. Cleisthenes
is referred to as "the father of Athenian democracy". The Athenian philosopher
Plato
contrasted democracy, the system of "rule by the governed", with the
alternative systems of monarchy
(rule by one individual), oligarchy
(rule by a small élite class) and timocracy
(ruling class of property owners). Today Classical Athenian democracy is considered
by many to have been a direct democracy.
Originally it had two distinguishing features: first the allotment
(selection by lot) of ordinary citizens to the few government offices and the
courts, and secondarily the assembly of all the citizens. All citizens were
eligible to speak and vote in the assembly, which set the laws of the city
state. However, Athenian citizens were all-male, born from parents who were
born in Athens, and excluded women,
slaves,
foreigners and males under 20 years old. Of the estimated 200,000 to 400,000
inhabitants there were between 60,000 to 30,000 citizens. The elected generals
often held influence in the assembly. Pericles
was, during his many years of de-facto political leadership, once elected
general 15 years in a row.
Even though the
Roman Republic contributed
significantly to certain aspects of democracy, only a minority of Romans were
citizens with votes in elections for representatives. The votes of the powerful
were given more weight through a system of Gerrymandering,
so most high officials, including members of the Senate,
came from a few wealthy and noble families. However, many notable exceptions
did occur.
b.
Democracy
after World War I
20th century
transitions to liberal democracy have come in successive "waves of
democracy," variously resulting from wars, revolutions, decolonization,
religious and
economic circumstances. World War I
and the dissolution of the Ottoman
and Austro-Hungarian
empires resulted in the creation of new nation-states from Europe, most of them
at least nominally democratic.
In the 1920s
democracy flourished, but the Great Depression
brought disenchantment, and most of the countries of Europe, Latin America, and
Asia turned to strong-man rule or dictatorships. Fascism
and dictatorships flourished in Nazi Germany,
Italy,
Spain
and Portugal,
as well as nondemocratic regimes in the Baltics,
the Balkans,
Brazil,
Cuba,
China,
and Japan,
among others.
c.
Democracy
after World War II
World War II
brought a definitive reversal of this trend in western Europe. The successful
democratization of the American, British, and French sectors of occupied
Germany Austria, Italy, and the occupied Japan
served as a model for the later theory of regime change.
However, most
of Eastern Europe, including the
Soviet sector of Germany
was forced into the non-democratic Soviet bloc.
The war was followed by decolonization,
and again most of the new independent states had nominally democratic
constitutions. India
emerged as the world's largest democracy and continues to be so.
By 1960, the
vast majority of country-states were nominally democracies, although the
majority of the world's populations lived in nations that experienced sham
elections, and other forms of subterfuge particularly in Communist nations and
the former colonies.
A subsequent
wave of democratization
brought substantial gains toward true liberal democracy for many nations. Spain, Portugal (1974), and several of the military
dictatorships in South America returned to civilian rule in the late 1970s and
early 1980s (Argentina in 1983, Bolivia, Uruguay in 1984, Brazil in 1985, and Chile in the early 1990s).
This was followed by nations in East
and South Asia
by the mid-to-late 1980s.
d.
Democracy
after Cold War
Economic
malaise in the 1980s, along with resentment of communist oppression,
contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union,
the associated end of the Cold
War, and the democratization and liberalization
of the former Eastern
bloc countries. The most successful of the new democracies were
those geographically and culturally closest to Western Europe, and they are now
members or candidate members of the European Union.
Some researchers consider that in contemporary Russiathere are no real
democracy and one of forms of dictatorship takes place.
The Economist Intelligence Unit's
Democracy Index as published
in December 2010. The palest blue countries get a score above 9 out of 10 with Norway
being the most democratic country at 9.80, while the black countries score
below 3 with North
Korea being the least democratic at 1.08.
The liberal
trend spread to some nations in Africa in the 1990s, most prominently in South
Africa. Some recent examples of attempts of liberalization include the Indonesian Revolution of 1998,
the Bulldozer Revolution
in Yugoslavia, the Rose Revolution
in Georgia, the Orange Revolution
in Ukraine,
the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon,
the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan,
and the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia.
According to Freedom House,
in 2007 there were 123 electoral democracies. According to World Forum on Democracy,
electoral democracies now represent 120 of the 192 existing countries and
constitute 58.2 percent of the world's population. At the same time liberal
democracies i.e. countries Freedom House regards as free and respectful of
basic human rights and the rule of law are 85 in number and represent 38
percent of the global population.
As such, it has
been speculated that this trend may continue in the future to the point where
liberal democratic nation-states become the universal standard form of human society.
This prediction forms the core of Francis Fukayama's
"End of History"
controversial theory. These theories are criticized by those who fear an
evolution of liberal democracies to post-democracy,
and others who point out the high number of illiberal democracies.
e.
Democracy
of Current Development
Democracy does not stop spreading from one year to
another in which we can see through the world people protest and demonstrate
for democracy. In Africa and Southeast Asia people call for help to change
their world of communist or authoritarian rule by replacing the democracy. They
work for democracy and die for democracy. During the jasmine demonstration in
Europe thousands of people died because of democracy.
IV. The Challenges of Democracy
So far what we have learnt is democracy in which it
emerged since the fifth century in the ancient Athens time. From day to another
democracy is popular for the modern world because it brings the good result of
political practice in the society. We see that if a country is full with
democratic practice people will live happily in their society because they have
rights to live and express what they need and want. Moreover, they live with
rule of law in which everyone is equal before law and on discrimination in
their society.
However, democracy has also met a lot of obstacles for
its development to be rooted in society because the old or ancient society was
rooted in communist and slavery society. Everyone has their own leaders and
become their slaves without reasonability. By contrast, democracy is equal for
all people through economic, politics with the good welfare for both physical
and metal and nobody is being violated.
a. The Political Challenges
Consider first the political challenges facing
democracies of the third wave. Reflecting an authoritarian legacy, liberal
ideas often remain weak. The development of democracy requires more than just
competitive elections. It also requires the enforcement of legal restraint on
state power, protection of civil rights, the establishment of relatively
uncorrupt and effective bureaucracies, and the imposition of democratic control
over potentially authoritarian forces such as the military and security service.
However, there is election practice the buying poles,
killing political activists also happen during the election. To extent that
democratic consolidation requires substituting a government of laws for one of men;
the task is still incomplete in new democracies. The inheritance form the old
regime continues to limit progress. Some new democracies still control by
military leaders in which the authoritarian practice also happen during the
governing of the new government by practicing the old system. After all, ruling
communist parties and military councils had brooked no interference from the
judiciary and paid no heed to constitutions, including statement of human
rights.
So in many new democracies, the tradition of power
revolving around individual whether communist party bosses, the arrogant
generals and landowners tends to subvert attempts to consolidate the democratic
framework.
b.
The
Economic Challenges
The economic difficulties confronting new democracies of
the third wave are even more obvious than the political challenges. These
problems consist of a combination of poverty and inequality, exacerbated by
severe economic decline in the early years of the new democracy. Even in many
of the larger and more developed new democracies, living standard remain well
below western levels, but the new democratic countries still meet the
difficulties of economic development in which it causes poverty in the region
or in the whole world.
Relative poverty goes hand in hand with greater
inequality. Many new democracies retain a large agricultural sector, where
sharp contrasts continue between a rich, powerful elite and a poorly educated
and often powerless, population. Conflict between landowners and dependent
peasants are endemic in most countries in the world.
Furthermore, the ex-communist states in Asia or Eastern
Europe suffered enormous economic dislocation in the transition from the old
order. As planned economic began to be dismantled in tandem with
democratization, unemployment soared. Throughout the post communist world was a
decade of deep economic decline in which the real suffering of the many was
exacerbated by ostentatious affluence of a few.
Crucially, the economic and political weaknesses of new
democracies are linked. The absence of a liberal political framework itself
inhibits economic advance. Weak legal systems restrict economic development
because corporations lack confidence that commercial disputes can be resolved
fairly and promptly through the courts. Close personal connection develop between
politicians in need of money and well-placed business executives who value
political influence. These semi-corrupt networks preclude the development of a
clear framework for market regulation. As a result, both economic and
democratic developments wither, held back by the incomplete penetration of
liberal ideas and institutions.
c.
The
Challenge of Time
We should mention one final factor affecting the
consolidation of third wave democracies is the timing of their transition. To
be born into a world which is already democratic is a mixed blessing. On the
one hand, it increases the pressure on new democracies to consolidate too
quickly. Populations value not just democracy but the affluence they sense goes
with it and the demand both now.
The first wave democracies were not so much adopting a
new political order as inventing it. As we saw that innovation was a leisurely,
even evolutionary, process of adapting old ideas to large states. By contrast,
third wave democracies were delivered into a world where democratic ideas were
already becoming predominant. As a result, they are expected to mimic
established examples without the economic resources and gradual maturation
which helped the countries of the first wave. Both democratic and international
audiences expect the process of developing democracy to be collapsed into a
decade or two. The result is rushed rather than leisurely democratization. In
the first wave, democracy could be an outcome but in the third wave it has to
be an intention. At the same time, democracies of the third wave have one clear
advantage over their predecessors is a favorable global and regional context. However,
democracies also need time to adopt themselves to be real and full democracies.
V. Solutions to the challenges of Democracy
Throughout its spread from one century to another, democracy
also meets challenges and it also needs solutions to solve those matters in
order to spread smoothly of democracy. Even though some obstacles are difficult
to overcome people will find out different ways. To overcome those challenges
we will examine these solutions. They will help to more understand the mean of
democracy in the new era of globalization of democracy.
a.
Political
Solution
Every government must govern by legitimacy in which government
govern according to the law. It also requires the enforcement of legal
restraint on the state power, protection of civil rights, the establishment of
relatively uncorrupt and effective bureaucracies, and imposition of democratic
control over potentially authoritarian forces such as the military and the
security services. Government control the country not through coup d’état or
any kind of illegal rules which make the political instability and it will be
illegitimacy government.
International intergovernmental organizations should
examine or check out those states which have the political matters to prevent
the spread of democracy. We need to promote democracy to the people and let the
people to participate the political career such as going to register the name
for election, going to vote for their leader through expressing their political
freedom and rights.
However, government itself has to have strong commitment
to spread democracy through their regime in term of political welfare. To be
sure, many democracies seem to have consolidated by on crucial tests is a
peaceful transfer of power through elections. Yet even when elections have
succeeded in the delicate task of replacing a governing elite, most democracies
remain distinctive. The best way to improve democracy is to make a political
reform to democratic governor government and all governmental institutions have
to be separated power one to another.
b.
Economic
Solution
We do not live alone anymore, so the world organizations
and super power and economic country have to provide fund to those countries
which wish to reform their political concepts from communism to democracy. The
best to help is economic, financial and technical assistance for those
countries. However, the government itself has to open for international
assistance to both political and economic aspect. Through the new era of
globalization every state combines and intergrades together to share the
benefits of economic by exchanging the products and fulfill the demand of
people around the world.
Actually, people always think of their stomach before
they think of other factors such as democracy and rule of law. We can think
that every developing country has a lot of challenges with their economics. The
people live in the poverty and most developing countries find themselves in a
more exposed position in relation to external economic forces. For better or
worse, the impact of the global economy is far greater than on developed
countries. In democratic countries, people always think of equality and
standard of living and the economic well-being is the key to democratic
consolidation. We can conclude that the more well to do a nation, the greater
the chances that it will sustain democracy and the stable democracies scored
higher on such measure as income per person, literacy and the proportion of the
population living in cities.
However, the democracy could process unless both external
and internal help together to root the democracy in the world which is called
the world of democracy. With the assistance from different actors around the
world and state itself, also have strong commitment to root down the democracy
in their own country and society. Even though world organizations such World
Bank, International Monetary Fund and other actors try to provide both
financial and technical assistance to the countries which wish to root democracy
into their countries, they do not have will to do so how other people help if
we do not help ourselves. We think economic is important, but the will of the
government and people is the most important.
c.
Solution
of Time
The timing of transition is also important for democratic
countries and to be born into a world which is already democratic is a mixed
blessing. The latest transitions to democracy have occurred with dizzying
speed, giving the societies involved little time to prepare for the leap to
representative government. Government and international actors absolutely play
important roles to help those countries which wish to be democratic countries. At
first the new democratic countries need time to process the elements of
democracy in which the election is the best way to choosing and replacing the
government.
On the other hand, it increases the pressures on new
democratic countries to consolidate too quickly. We cannot claim to be
democratic countries and we will be full democratic countries in the world. We
need time and process the mechanism of democracy which helps those countries to
be the democracy. However, both domestic and international audiences expect to
process of developing democracy to be collapsed into a decade or two. Step by
step to be democratic countries and it cannot rush to adopt democracy.
The progress of building democracy is very difficult. The
solution need both internal and external, citizen and government as well as the
international institution. Changing attitude is very important to get new idea.
Mostly people in developing countries don’t understand about human right and
the real meaning of power. Some people use power to crackdown on citizens.
People love power. Everyone think that if they have power, they will have
everything. They think about their own benefit too much and never care the national
interest. People don’t try to work hard. The politicians always cheat their
citizens for their own purpose. So, majority of people might think that the
politic is not connecting with citizens, just the work for politicians only.
The politician can do whatever they want. These are really the bad habit that
people must try to change. Population must try to get the knowledge of
democracy if what is important and characteristic of this ideology. Democracy
is really different from monarchy or totalitarianism regime. Democracy respects
the human rights and makes the social justice. Mean people can live equally as
the citizen in one country, can go to the same school, the hospital, market,
gets the same salary with the same position; even become the leader of the
country. People must be involved in voting. For the first time there might be a
narrow change that can make people disappointed, but people can’t abandon.
Citizens still full fill the obligation by voting because little change is away
better than nothing moving. Also changing the leader is the best way to build
democracy and new movement and policy. This is the way that people can
empowerment themselves and use natural power to choose the leader they think
has enough ability and capability to perform the job. Citizens must try to
participate in society as much as possible because without people participation
the society will be empty, nothing to do to build democracy. Moreover, on behalf of one citizen, we must
be strictly obeying the law. This is the most important point of citizens’
obligation. Imagine that everyone don’t obey the law, what will happen in the
society? If society in disorder how can we build democracy?
Meanwhile the citizens’ obligations, the governments play
the most important role to build democracy in society. Government is the one
who control all activities and manage all recourses in the country, so building
democracy is start from the government first. How can people understand this
ideology if the government doesn’t tell them? So the government has to show, to
explain what are the definition, and advantage of democracy. To build
democracy, the most important potential is human recourses. Without human
capital, nothing good happen in society. The leader has to improve the education
system. To make social order and justice, the government has to strictly
implementation the law. People who commit with the crime have to send to the
prison without forgiveness otherwise the social problem will be happen such as
vise, human trafficking, steal, or killing. Anti- corruption law must be on the
top of political agency. We all know that corruption is the virus that kills
our society. Corruption decreases the affectedness of the job performance and
reduces the recourse of the state. Corruption makes social injustice and
increase the poverty line because the rich get richer and the poor get poorer
and poorer. Corruption country has low human capital and inequality produce
that reduce the capacity of produce to other countries. It is the obstacle to
develop economic and democracy that the anti-corruption unit must be taken in
advance. Moreover, decentralization and centralization must on the
administrative reform of government policy. Sharing power to the local
government staff has very affective to solve any problem. This is the form of
democracy because the power can’t belong only to the small group of people;
power is belong to everybody in society, especially the local staff. In this
approach, choosing the government staff in local village, district, or province
by election in the policy. So, those people don’t depend on the government or
any party to get power. They have to work with people and for people to show
their ability and capacity to become the leader. Furthermore, government must reform
economic policy to be private control and abandon the economic plane by the
state. Democracy appear as soon as we develop the economic, or we can see that
when economic grow, democracy also has good aspect. In this way, the leader
must try to open the economy into free market that everyone has right to do
what they want on economic aspect. Joining internal organization is very
important because we have time to share idea, knowledge, and experience to each
other. One more advantage is the free flow of product on the members of the
organization. For example, countries in ASEAN can join AFTA, NAFTA in North
America, and the European Union. This opportunity makes the members have chance
to compete the product to run the business. So, the countries try the best to
compete with the other by increase the both quality and quantity as well as the
increase of human capital and skill worker. In the result, it is very effective
way to develop economic as well as democracy because only democracy can smooth
the economic performance.
International institutions also play important role to
build democracy in the world. First of all, they force the countries to reform
the political tendency. The countries that want to become the member of World
Bank and European Union have to reform the political structure to become
democratic countries first. So any countries that want to become the member,
they have to respect the human right. This is the sigh of rising democracy. The
more wanted members, the more democratic countries. The members have to
strictly obey the condition because the international institutions will
investigate all activities if the governments violate the human right and
democracy or not. The condition of these int’l institutions is very affective
to the build democracy because the members can’t abuse the role. Moreover, the
international institutions also provide a lot aid, fund, and various
assistances to developing world. This is the role of int’l institutions that
help to develop both economic and democracy. In this aspect, they provide aid
to build infrastructures such as road, bride, school, or any center. Sometime,
the assistance can be in education system, or training course to local people.
United Nation is the biggest organization that has many agencies to help
developing countries such as UNDP, World Food Program, and UNESCO that have
duty to provide aid, help to improve the human right, or investigate the rate
of development. Int’l Institution also provide opportunity to join as the
member such as UN, ASEAN, EU, AU or some economic institution that have AFTA,
NAFTA, EU, and WTO which make the chance to have good relation and free flow of
product to all countries as the members. When countries open the economic to
free market, it is the good sight of democracy because the governments of each
state try to make good governance to the citizens. All in all, we can see that
int’l institutions play important role in building democracy by providing aid,
fund, assistance, and give opportunity to reform economic and political as well
as the chance to has good relation among the members in order to make peace and
development in the world.
VI. Conclusion and Recommendation
a.
Conclusion
Democracy is the political ideology which was emerged in
the fifth century at ancient Athens and it is also a modern ideology that
governs of people, by people, and for people. However, democracy has many forms
in which they practice different style of democracy around the world. The
democracy in the United States is different from the democracy in Cambodia. Democracy focused on human rights respect,
standard of living, justice, happiness Democracy emerged in ancient Athens, 5th
century. Democracies have different forms according to the political adoption.
Some challenges still the obstacle to perform democracy in some countries. Solution
should be both internal and external to overcome the challenges of the spread
of democracy around the world.
Democracy does not stop spreading from one year to
another in which we can see through the world people protest and demonstrate
for democracy. In Africa and Southeast Asia people call for help to change
their world of communist or authoritarian rule by replacing the democracy. They
work for democracy and die for democracy. During the jasmine demonstration in
Europe thousands of people died because of democracy.
Democracy is very important for all people around the
word and that why most of the countries choose democracy as political ideology.
Democracy provides fair opportunity to the citizens. Human rights respect,
standard of living, the value as the human being is being recognized and
promote by the government. The process of democracy happens a long time ago.
But the wave of democracy that spread very fast is in the 20th and
21th centuries result from war, revolution especially European, as well as the
economic development that open for free market and make the private control.
All these actions, step by step can make people right in many aspect such as
economic, politic, or social participation. People live in peace and happiness
where the human right has been organize, good education system, fast and safe
health care service, good transportation, social justice, and opportunity to
work in suitable place and salary. In
democratic country, usually the three super powers always independent or has
interrelation that can’t allow any power to have the most power and control
over everything. However, just some countries that have strong democracy and
the left still have challenges to build democratic states. Everyone knows that
building democracy is very complicated and it take time to achieve the state
that provide the benefit to population. The solution to build democracy needs
the participation from the citizen, government as well as the international
institution. People themselves must try to change the attitude and try to
understand more about democracy if it is different from other ideologies. They
must involve in any social participation, especially voting because it is very important chance to choose the leader
who has both ability and capability. Government also tries to encourage people
to have participation in society and provide good education system. The concept
of centralize and decentralization are very important to share power to the
local government staffs to perform the job affectively. Government must more
participate in international organization to get benefit in both economic and
political aspect. Moreover, the international organizations also play important
role to build democracy of the states. These organizations provide fund, aid,
technical assistance, help to reform and develop economic, political cooperation
and consultation amount the states that is the chance to build economic and
democracy.
b. Recommendation
Building democracy is very
complicated and very challenges to both citizens and government. So, to build
democracy, strong political will and commitment are the strategies in place. If
we don’t have will or desire to do it, how will it happen? Democracy comes from
the participation of everybody in the country, especially the government
because they the one who control and manage everything. The government has to
perform the good job, provide good knowledge, obey the law, and being a model
for all citizens to follow. It is means that, the governments must capability
and being the good leader, otherwise if they make any mistake or commit with
the crime or any corruption, it will be a bad impact for people conception.
Furthermore, the international organizations should provide more chance to
developing countries to get more opportunities to participate to develop
economic and democracy. Also, they should provide more fund, aid, and any
various assistance to developing countries.
Government itself should have strong commitment to adopt
the democratic politics. All people should be provided equal rights in
participation in politics and freedom to express their view. Government work
for democracy and issues the policy for equity for all as the democratic view.
International organization should support and encourage
democratic countries with good condition of political career. The new
democratic countries really meet a lot challenges so they need help from any
actors who could help them to adopt the democratic policies. The best way to
help those countries to be democratic countries is to provide financial and
technical assistance because they are the developing countries and people live
in the poverty line.
Super power countries should provide opportunity for
young generation to get new concepts of democracy. Some countries are strange
with the ideology of democracy so the best way to absorb the concept of
democracy is to provide young generation getting to know what democracy is. We
rely on power economic countries to help those people around the world getting
to know the democracy.
VII. References:
1. DAVID
HELD, Democracy and the Global Order,
published by Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, 1995.
2. Rod
Hague and Martin Harrop, An Introduction
to Comparative Government and Politics, published by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN,
175 fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y. 10010, 2006.
3. MICHAEL
G. ROSKIN and ROBERT L. CORD, An
Introduction Political Science,
published by Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, 2006
4. http://www.democracyjournal.org/
5. http://pbskids.org/democracy/
6. http://www.ned.org/
7. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/democracy.htm
8. http://www.positech.co.uk/democracy2/
[1]
David Held, Democracy and the Global Order, published by Stanford University
Press, Stanford, California, 1995, p. 145
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