The Messy Business of Democracy

Juan Cole has an excellent post about the growth of democracy in two Muslim-majority countries (Turkey and Indonesia). While both countries have their very serious problems (lurking authoritarians, bad record on treatment of minorities) they are quietly achieving free and open societies. It is worth remembering that the attainment of our current forms of government in the West required a great deal of struggle and many setbacks. The point is though that this kind of reform seems to work best when people are given the chance to do it themselves. Go read the whole post, perhaps a little optimism for the new year.

Democracy Here & There

I know that most of my blogging energies these days have been devoted to the referendum in Ontario and my support for MMP. I feel remiss though in not having said anything about what's been going on in Burma. We're trying to better elect our representatives, they're trying to get out from under the jackboots of a band of military thugs.

Part of this silence on Burma is my aversion to getting my hopes up when it's students vs. soldiers. Part of it is my uncertainty about what exactly I can say or do to materially aide the Burmese students. I don't know that having noble feelings about a worthy cause whilst ensconced in the trappings of Western comfort makes much difference. I joined the Facebook group, but since the junta seems to have cut the internet I wonder if the Burmese are even aware of our attempts to express support for them.

This is what I have for now, a quote from Aung San Suu Kyi the context of which I am uncertain but which seems apt for these days:

"This is not the end. There's a long way to go and the way might be very, very hard; so please, stand by."

And so we should.

More Proof That Democracy is Passe

Ayad Allawi is floating the idea of having the US back in him in seizing control of Iraq in a coup. This is totally going to muck up any attempt that Bill Kristol might make to sell a war in Iran. I can see it now, "We need to spread more favourable dictatorships to the whole world."

Spreading democracy? Psssh, that's so 2003!

Remember all that talk about remaking the Middle East as a democratic paradise? Forget that, authoritarianism is the new rage! The new hot trend spreading on the right is ignoring democracy.

Consider:

In Canada the Conservatives have appointed an unelected party hack as the extra-special government representative for a riding that already has a member from another party. They may have done this in several ridings. Why have an election when you can just appoint these sorts of people?

In the US a credibly mainstream right-wing think tank has published a piece calling on Bush to become President-for-Life. Because it worked for the Caesars in Rome. Seriously.

Supporting an illegitimate ruler

Isn't that what the West is doing by suddenly rushing to support Mahmoud Abbas' all-new government in the West Bank? I mean, I'm sure that the Palestinians need whatever help they can get but surely this contradicts the whole Iraq project. Remember all that neocon idealism about democracy in the Middle East and no more support for strongmen just because they might be expedient?

Bullshit.

Abbas is seen as marginally easier to deal with than Hamas, so he gets propped up with a government that the Palestinians never voted into office. Like I said before, if it puts bread on the table in Ramallah and elsewhere I'm sure that not too many in the West Bank are complaining, but make no mistake, the West has always, always preferred strongmen to democracy as an expedient for governing the parts of the developing world where it has strategic interests.