Egypt, Tunisia
Raise Doubts About Western Democracy
Have we
in the West made a mistake, assuming that democracy is the best form of
government for all nations? From decidedly undemocratic China, this
editorial from the state-run Global Times suggests that the recent
wave of 'color revolutions' demonstrates that Western efforts to democratize the
world are naive and misguided.
A woman in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, holds a sign suggesting that as far as she's concerned, Egyptian President Mubarak has been too cozy with Israel, Jan. 26.
This year's newest wave of
color revolutions broke out in Tunisia and then swept through Egypt.
Western-style democracy appears to be spreading, yet the countries most
susceptible to the trend bear no comparison to Western society. The revolutions
taking place today are more controversial than those that occurred in East
Europe after the Cold War.
The recent revolutions have elicited
a tremendous reaction in the West. The global community no longer clamors for
democracy in emerging countries as it did after the Cold War. On the one hand,
they're happy about a wider embrace of democracy. On the other, there are real
concerns about the potential rise of Islamic fundamentalism in case of a power
vacuum in the Middle East.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
In a sense, democracy seeks
to raise grassroots sentiment at the government level, something many existing
governments fail to do. The more extreme the various elements of a
society are, the harder for governments to maintain a reasonable line. The
Middle East is where beliefs and views clash most with those of the Western
world. This is why Western countries support non-democratic regimes that play
into their hands.
Most Western democracies
matured over a long period. Japan and South Korea, though implanted
democracies, have to pay the price of hosting foreign armies on their
territories. Some other countries have had an even tougher time adopting a
democratic system.
In general, democracy has strong
appeal because of successful Western models. But as more and more unsuccessful
examples emerge, whether such a system is applicable to other nations is increasingly
in doubt.
In the West, democracy isn't
only a political system, but a way of life. Yet some emerging democracies in
Asia and Africa are taking hit after hit because of street-level clamor.
Tunisia and Egypt are still a
long way from Democracy. A successful democracy requires concrete economy,
educational and social foundations.
As a general concept,
democracy has been accepted by most people. But when it comes to political
systems, the Western model is only one of a number of options. It takes time
and effort to apply democracy - and to do so without the turmoil of revolution.
