Democratisation and the Difficulties of Promoting Democracy From Outside
Democratisation is the structural transition from authoritarian government to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a more democratic direction. The process is a complex, messy and conflict-ridden one. As a result, it is difficult to identify the factors that lead to successful pro-democratic change. Nevertheless, two broad themes can be identified: the importance of societal changes that foster democratisation; and the difficulty in promoting democracy from outside.
For example, it is widely believed that economic development is a critical condition for democratisation. This is because it produces a middle class with the interest and capacity to demand greater influence over governance issues. Over time, even the most repressive governments must bow to this pressure. A related argument is that democratisation can help promote civic nationalism, a form of patriotism that transcends ethnic/nationalist boundaries and encourages the peaceful coexistence of different cultures and races. This is a powerful argument, but it has been challenged by studies that find that economic development does not consistently lead to civic nationalism.
Furthermore, it is generally accepted that democratisation is a process that takes time. It did not happen overnight in the industrialised countries of Western Europe and North America. In fact, it took centuries for these states to develop a fully democratic constitution and institutions. Likewise, the democratic transitions that occurred in Latin America and Africa in the 1990s were often chaotic and led to reversals in the health of their democracies.
The failure of Western-initiated democratisation in Afghanistan and Iraq has also reaffirmed the widespread belief that a lack of internal capacity to promote democratisation is the most serious obstacle to its success. It is also a powerful reminder that democracy is not simply a set of formal rules and procedures; it is a deeply contested and conflict-ridden concept that must be built from the inside, rather than imposed from the outside.
It is important to understand these difficulties when thinking about how to promote democracy abroad. In the advanced industrialized world, this translates into supporting policies that strengthen civil society in emerging democracies and developing support for what former British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook called an ethical foreign policy. In the developing world, it means educating citizens about democratization and encouraging them to become involved in civil-society organizations that are working to build democracy itself. It is only through such efforts that the world will finally realize its dream of a global democracy. This will require an unprecedented level of cooperation among nations and between the advanced industrialized and developing countries. Otherwise, the global dream of democracy will remain a mirage. This is a danger that cannot be ignored. The future of our globalized planet may very well depend on it.
Democratisation is the structural transition from authoritarian government to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a more democratic direction. The process is a complex, messy and conflict-ridden one. As a result, it is difficult to identify the factors that lead to successful pro-democratic change. Nevertheless, two broad themes can be identified: the importance of societal changes that foster democratisation; and the difficulty in promoting democracy from outside. For example, it is widely believed that economic development is a critical condition for democratisation. This is because it produces a middle class with the interest and capacity to demand greater influence over governance issues. Over time, even the most repressive governments must bow to this pressure. A related argument is that democratisation can help promote civic nationalism, a form of patriotism that transcends ethnic/nationalist boundaries and encourages the peaceful coexistence of different cultures and races. This is a powerful argument, but it has been challenged by studies that find that economic development does not consistently lead to civic nationalism. Furthermore, it is generally accepted that democratisation is a process that takes time. It did not happen overnight in the industrialised countries of Western Europe and North America. In fact, it took centuries for these states to develop a fully democratic constitution and institutions. Likewise, the democratic transitions that occurred in Latin America and Africa in the 1990s were often chaotic and led to reversals in the health of their democracies. The failure of Western-initiated democratisation in Afghanistan and Iraq has also reaffirmed the widespread belief that a lack of internal capacity to promote democratisation is the most serious obstacle to its success. It is also a powerful reminder that democracy is not simply a set of formal rules and procedures; it is a deeply contested and conflict-ridden concept that must be built from the inside, rather than imposed from the outside. It is important to understand these difficulties when thinking about how to promote democracy abroad. In the advanced industrialized world, this translates into supporting policies that strengthen civil society in emerging democracies and developing support for what former British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook called an ethical foreign policy. In the developing world, it means educating citizens about democratization and encouraging them to become involved in civil-society organizations that are working to build democracy itself. It is only through such efforts that the world will finally realize its dream of a global democracy. This will require an unprecedented level of cooperation among nations and between the advanced industrialized and developing countries. Otherwise, the global dream of democracy will remain a mirage. This is a danger that cannot be ignored. The future of our globalized planet may very well depend on it.