Challenges of Democracy

While today was undoubtedly a triumph of American democracy, watching President Obama's inauguration left me feeling simply relieved. Sure, the crowds were huge and the sheer jubilation was fun to watch, the benediction was funny and the Chief Justice flubbed the oath of office, but it was the speech which left me thinking. Obama came down fairly hard on his predecessor, as he rightly should. The US is bailing for all its worth now but at least Obama brings some measure of hope to a fearful nation. As we look at the next year and consider where US foreign policy will go, one of the big things that comes to my mind, particularly given Obama's journey to the White House, is democracy promotion.
The US has, at least since WWII come to stand for democracy everywhere. It is, or rather was, the model of a stable democratic nation that stood for freedom and hope. However, in recent years the world has seen a distinct stagnation, perhaps even a downturn, in democracy and certainly in the area of democracy promotion. While many countries claim to be democratic in reality they are often closer to “competitive-authoritarian regimes.” The tarnishing of democracy’s image comes from a variety of sources but chief among them is the Iraq war. It cannot be stressed enough that the association of democracy with the US led War on Terror, and more specifically the war in Iraq, has almost single-handedly destroyed all legitimacy held by those who seek to promote it. By using democracy as an excuse to begin a poorly conceived and even more poorly received war, promoting democracy suddenly has become associated with promoting American security and interests. While seeking political change in the Middle East is not by itself an illegitimate goal, it is the American strategy which is contemptible. That being said, the international community, and the US, should not outright abandon democracy promotion, particularly in Iraq, as the benefits of democracy far outweigh those of alternate forms.
On the one hand, US policy makers have been somewhat naive in thinking that they could bring Western-style democracy to a region that has been stubbornly resistant and strongly anti-American. Yet, those who say that the Middle East is incapable of maintaining a democracy are equally wrong. Perhaps where both groups fail to assess the situation properly is in their conception of democracy itself. The term “Western-style” evokes a particular image of social and political organization but also raises the question of whether the form of government envisioned by American policy makers is a rigid form of democracy which ultimately benefits America itself. There is direct evidence that this has already occurred as seen in the recent Palestinian elections. These elections, which relied heavily on US and international support to even occur, resulted in unfavorable outcomes for the Western world. All too quickly these countries dismissed the results, irreparably damaging their future legitimacy in supporting other democratic ventures in the Middle East.
It's clear from voter turnouts in elections in Iraq and other regions such as Palestine and Afghanistan that when given the chance, citizens are more than willing to participate in forming their own governments but it is also clear that the West will disregard these citizens’ opinions if they clash with their own interests. Credible democracy promotion requires that the international community put in place structures to support democratic government and elections but then to allow the people the ultimate choice.
American political economist and philosoper Francis Fukuyama suggests that to improve American chances in the next democracy building project, a permanent office should be established “with authority and resources appropriate for the job.” While this is an admirable idea, policy makers must be careful that their actions are not construed as planning for the implementation of a global American hegemony. While it may be impossible to stop some groups from believing the worst, by allowing newly set up democracies to make their own choices, focusing on supporting the underlying structure of the system such as local anticorruption groups and an independent judiciary, providing impartial international experts on such topics as constitution writing, and finally, helping solve security issues with minimal military involvement will go a long way to improving America’s democracy promotion strategies.
This brings us to the last fundamental question; is democracy really serving international interest and is there a continued need to promote it? This is a necessary debate which must be undertaken by all those living in a contemporary world where “authoritarian capitalism” of Russia and China is proving to be a somewhat successful form of government. The fact that democracy must be debated is not a bad thing. Indeed, it allows for a new generation of democratic reform and forces the international community to discuss the ongoing discontents and fears associated with the system. How to handle corrupt regimes, deal with the undermining of democratic institutions by cynical leaders, and to promote strong independent judiciaries are all important issues which urgently require new consideration. However, despite these challenges and the fact that democracy is no longer the sole best economic solution, it is still the best option in terms of promoting human rights and establishing a modicum of equality and freedom. In turn, promoting human rights and equality goes a long way to supporting international peace and cooperation, obviously desirable outcomes. Democracy is by no means the ultimate cure to countries such as Iraq but it does provide hope for a better future, one in which its own citizens have a say and this is a goal worthy of international support.
To conclude, the impacts of the Iraq war and the Bush regime have left the legitimacy of democracy promotion in the Middle East and indeed, of democracy itself, in question but this questioning is necessary. Hopefully it will lead to new solutions and new policy by both the US and the international community at large. Despite the multitude of challenges faced by contemporary supporters of democracy promotion, there is undoubtedly a need for their continued efforts as democracy remains the best chance at achieving basic human rights, equality and freedom.
Some links on democracy promotion:
Journal of Democracy - Here you can find lots of interesting articles including the one I've linked to below. Check out the sidebar for some interesting panel discussions on topics such as Democracy in Latin America.
Democracy Promotion: Political vs. Developmental? - Thomas Carothers: Discusses the differences between political and developmental, as well as American and European, democracy promotion.
Canada's take on Democracy Promotion which contains some interesting video interviews on democracy, promotion, development, and transition from a variety of experts including Samantha Power!
De-Emphasizing Democracy - Fred Hiatt: Predicts the future course of the Obama administration with regards to democracy promotion
Democracy Promotion: Seven Steps Learned from Experience on the Ground - Rights & Democracy: An interesting look at how to create a democratic culture and institutions.
The Brave New World of Democracy Promotion - Robert McMahon: A hopeful article that discusses the history of democracy promotion, the results of the Bush administration's "freedom agenda", and the crossroad the Obama administration finds itself at.