The Path to Democracy
Democracy is generally seen as a good thing, but there is little consensus on how it should be created and what conditions are necessary for it to thrive. The most important point is that democratic institutions and practices can be built only gradually, over time. This is because democracy requires new political cultures and institutions that must be forged, which takes time and effort. This is why a long period of intractable conflict – often ethnic or religious – can make democratisation difficult. Even when a democracy emerges, it may be fragile and susceptible to reversion to authoritarianism.
It is also generally accepted that the transition to democracy must be initiated and nurtured internally by society. This is why the recent Arab Spring, and other protest movements across Europe and Asia, are encouraging: they have demonstrated that pro-democratic civil society changes can have a profound impact on the state and politics. However, this is only a first step and it is likely that these movements will be difficult to sustain, particularly as the state and government must start to deal with economic pressures and competing interests.
A further factor is that a country can only become democratic once the underlying social and political foundations are established, which can take many years. It is largely for this reason that there have been few cases of foreign-induced democratisation since World War II. This has been most notable in the case of Afghanistan and Iraq, where a transition to democracy that was instigated by outside powers has not been successful. The reversion to Taliban and Islamic fundamentalism rule in both countries reinforces the widespread view that any democratisation instigated from outside has only very limited prospects of success, except under exceptional circumstances.
There is also a general recognition that a successful democracy must be based on the acceptance and respect of individual freedoms and human rights. This will only work if citizens feel that the government represents them and is legitimate. It is for this reason that a number of scholars have advocated that the most effective path to democracy involves combining economic development with a process of democratisation. This ensures that the growth of the economy is accompanied by an expansion of political participation, and a broader range of people are able to influence the decisions made by the government and society as a whole.
There is also a broad agreement that the conditions promoting democratisation are broader than just those related to economy, although there is much debate about exactly what these are and how they operate to promote democracy. There is a recognition that the development of democratic institutions and practices is linked to a phenomenon known as the “democratic peace” which means that democracies are less likely to engage in military conflict with each other than non-democracies are. This is particularly true in areas where there are ethnic and other tensions that give rise to intractable conflict, such as the former colonies of the West.
Democracy is generally seen as a good thing, but there is little consensus on how it should be created and what conditions are necessary for it to thrive. The most important point is that democratic institutions and practices can be built only gradually, over time. This is because democracy requires new political cultures and institutions that must be forged, which takes time and effort. This is why a long period of intractable conflict – often ethnic or religious – can make democratisation difficult. Even when a democracy emerges, it may be fragile and susceptible to reversion to authoritarianism. It is also generally accepted that the transition to democracy must be initiated and nurtured internally by society. This is why the recent Arab Spring, and other protest movements across Europe and Asia, are encouraging: they have demonstrated that pro-democratic civil society changes can have a profound impact on the state and politics. However, this is only a first step and it is likely that these movements will be difficult to sustain, particularly as the state and government must start to deal with economic pressures and competing interests. A further factor is that a country can only become democratic once the underlying social and political foundations are established, which can take many years. It is largely for this reason that there have been few cases of foreign-induced democratisation since World War II. This has been most notable in the case of Afghanistan and Iraq, where a transition to democracy that was instigated by outside powers has not been successful. The reversion to Taliban and Islamic fundamentalism rule in both countries reinforces the widespread view that any democratisation instigated from outside has only very limited prospects of success, except under exceptional circumstances. There is also a general recognition that a successful democracy must be based on the acceptance and respect of individual freedoms and human rights. This will only work if citizens feel that the government represents them and is legitimate. It is for this reason that a number of scholars have advocated that the most effective path to democracy involves combining economic development with a process of democratisation. This ensures that the growth of the economy is accompanied by an expansion of political participation, and a broader range of people are able to influence the decisions made by the government and society as a whole. There is also a broad agreement that the conditions promoting democratisation are broader than just those related to economy, although there is much debate about exactly what these are and how they operate to promote democracy. There is a recognition that the development of democratic institutions and practices is linked to a phenomenon known as the “democratic peace” which means that democracies are less likely to engage in military conflict with each other than non-democracies are. This is particularly true in areas where there are ethnic and other tensions that give rise to intractable conflict, such as the former colonies of the West.