Recently, US President Bush recently made his first ever visit to Russia to mark the 60th anniversary of Germany’s surrender to the Allied forces, which comprised of Russia, US and UK. Considering the Russian ambition to establish its authority over their former USSR member states, Bush’s itinerary included visits to Georgia and Ukraine as a diplomatic rebuff to Russian ambitions. Bush has emphasized the establishment of democracy around the world as a central theme of his foreign policy. All US aid and other initiatives are tied to the progress of democracies in countries seeking funds.
This is not the first time in human history that a country has taken the initiative to dictate its philosophies and expecting them to be adopted by the rest of the world. In old times, weapons and armies were used to subjugate a nation while today trade sanctions and diplomacy is used to achieve those same objectives. Famous Egyptian Pharaoh, Khufu, circa 2575-2465 BC, was so influential that emperors from states far and wide would send emissaries for the protection of the king against aggression from him as well as other states. When Alexander came of age and became the ruler of Macedonia, he wanted to explore the world and impose his will by creating a unified world under Macedonian rule. In the last millennia, British, Portuguese and Dutch occupied colonies in the name of spreading economic prosperity to these culturally rich but economically poor Middle Eastern, African and Asian countries. In recent times, Hitler tried to create his own kingdom of Aryans in Europe by marching on Poland, France and Russia.
Not only rulers with armies and weapons aspired to create global influences, religious and philosophical leaders also have held their own share of ambitions. Christian and Muslim religious leaders sought ways to spread their philosophies that ultimately resulted in the Crusades that lasted for almost 200 years, consuming countless lives. Philosophers also contributed to this ambition of a unified world by promoting ideologies and theories in managing human societies. The first such effort was Plato’s “Republic” which used individual characteristics of justice, courage and honesty to be extended to a society in creating a state governed by these principles. Nicolò Machiavelli created his own body of work “The Prince” to advise rulers in controlling their societies for the benefit of the common man. If “Republic” is a society’s guide to establish an equitable system of government, “Prince” is a guide for autocratic rulers to suppress their people. Voltaire’s Socialist ideas became the inspiration for the French Revolution of 1795. Those same socialist ideologies were also considered good for other nations as well. Karl Marx’s communist philosophy entailed that the state should be the primary arbiter of material goods; products and property among the citizens became the leading light for the Russian Bolshevik Revolution of 1918. Once established, Russia wanted to impose those same philosophies on its neighboring countries creating the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR).
But all these efforts failed in one way or the other resulting in a social vacuum that gave rise to anarchy and ultimately widespread human misery. The basic definition of democracy is “government by the people for the people”. If we consider this definition to be valid then Mr. Bush needs to amend his ambition of global democracy by seeking approval from the people of each country before it is imposed on them through military or economic intervention.
There is no argument about the effectiveness of democracy in furthering equality for all citizens and giving them a chance to enjoy the fruits of progress of a civilized society. But it is also a fact that each culture has its own traditions that cannot be ignored in implementing democratic values. If democracy is considered an intrinsic part of human nature then an outside intervention is not needed to impose it on a society. The real problem lies in the process adopted to implement democratic values on a society. If Bush is serious in promoting democracy around the world, the first step needed is to withhold economic support for autocratic rulers. President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf has broken his own word to the nation by rescinding on his promise to relinquish the military uniform and keep the civilian role of the President. But instead of pressuring Musharraf to discard his uniform, the US has continued its economic support thereby defying his own promise of promoting democracy around the world.
This dual policy of US is the prime reason for its damaging image in countries affected by these policies. Instead of supporting the movements for democracy US has been supportive of autocratic rulers. These same suppressed societies become breeding grounds for terrorists and other anti social elements. Instead of waiting for the situation to become worse to the extent that US or other Western intervention would be required, democratic countries should provide support to home grown democratic movements. It is also a reality that each country will develop its own unique set of democratic values instead of importing them from other countries.
The US, traditionally, has been an open society with free flow of capital and labor across its boundaries that resulted in its unprecedented economic prosperity. This openness is a direct result of a deep democratic values build over 200 years of its history. But 911 changed all this, forcing lawmakers to adopt policies, like the unfair Patriotic Act, to convert US into an increasingly closed society. This is evident from the diversion of intellectuals migrating to Europe instead of opting for US. In the past, it is this intellectual capital that has helped US maintain its technological lead over other developed countries. With the rising phenomena of out sourcing to India and China it is even more important for the US to maintain this technological advantage. It is the basic responsibility of each citizen to protect its homeland from intruders and sabotages but closing the society will only go against the fundamental principles of the US, thereby damaging the American Dream that has survived for almost 2 centuries. Democracy has proved to be a more successful philosophy as compared to socialism or communism. But it is also unique to each country based on its own culture and tradition. The West, Europe and US, should support democracy by working with the people instead of using external pressures for its implementation.
Bush’s doctrine of global democracy Recently, US …
August 18, 2005 at 2:06 pm · Filed under Political Commentary
Bush’s doctrine of global democracy
Recently, US President Bush recently made his first ever visit to Russia to mark the 60th anniversary of Germany’s surrender to the Allied forces, which comprised of Russia, US and UK. Considering the Russian ambition to establish its authority over their former USSR member states, Bush’s itinerary included visits to Georgia and Ukraine as a diplomatic rebuff to Russian ambitions. Bush has emphasized the establishment of democracy around the world as a central theme of his foreign policy. All US aid and other initiatives are tied to the progress of democracies in countries seeking funds.
This is not the first time in human history that a country has taken the initiative to dictate its philosophies and expecting them to be adopted by the rest of the world. In old times, weapons and armies were used to subjugate a nation while today trade sanctions and diplomacy is used to achieve those same objectives. Famous Egyptian Pharaoh, Khufu, circa 2575-2465 BC, was so influential that emperors from states far and wide would send emissaries for the protection of the king against aggression from him as well as other states. When Alexander came of age and became the ruler of Macedonia, he wanted to explore the world and impose his will by creating a unified world under Macedonian rule. In the last millennia, British, Portuguese and Dutch occupied colonies in the name of spreading economic prosperity to these culturally rich but economically poor Middle Eastern, African and Asian countries. In recent times, Hitler tried to create his own kingdom of Aryans in Europe by marching on Poland, France and Russia.
Not only rulers with armies and weapons aspired to create global influences, religious and philosophical leaders also have held their own share of ambitions. Christian and Muslim religious leaders sought ways to spread their philosophies that ultimately resulted in the Crusades that lasted for almost 200 years, consuming countless lives. Philosophers also contributed to this ambition of a unified world by promoting ideologies and theories in managing human societies. The first such effort was Plato’s “Republic” which used individual characteristics of justice, courage and honesty to be extended to a society in creating a state governed by these principles. Nicolò Machiavelli created his own body of work “The Prince” to advise rulers in controlling their societies for the benefit of the common man. If “Republic” is a society’s guide to establish an equitable system of government, “Prince” is a guide for autocratic rulers to suppress their people. Voltaire’s Socialist ideas became the inspiration for the French Revolution of 1795. Those same socialist ideologies were also considered good for other nations as well. Karl Marx’s communist philosophy entailed that the state should be the primary arbiter of material goods; products and property among the citizens became the leading light for the Russian Bolshevik Revolution of 1918. Once established, Russia wanted to impose those same philosophies on its neighboring countries creating the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR).
But all these efforts failed in one way or the other resulting in a social vacuum that gave rise to anarchy and ultimately widespread human misery. The basic definition of democracy is “government by the people for the people”. If we consider this definition to be valid then Mr. Bush needs to amend his ambition of global democracy by seeking approval from the people of each country before it is imposed on them through military or economic intervention.
There is no argument about the effectiveness of democracy in furthering equality for all citizens and giving them a chance to enjoy the fruits of progress of a civilized society. But it is also a fact that each culture has its own traditions that cannot be ignored in implementing democratic values. If democracy is considered an intrinsic part of human nature then an outside intervention is not needed to impose it on a society. The real problem lies in the process adopted to implement democratic values on a society. If Bush is serious in promoting democracy around the world, the first step needed is to withhold economic support for autocratic rulers. President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf has broken his own word to the nation by rescinding on his promise to relinquish the military uniform and keep the civilian role of the President. But instead of pressuring Musharraf to discard his uniform, the US has continued its economic support thereby defying his own promise of promoting democracy around the world.
This dual policy of US is the prime reason for its damaging image in countries affected by these policies. Instead of supporting the movements for democracy US has been supportive of autocratic rulers. These same suppressed societies become breeding grounds for terrorists and other anti social elements. Instead of waiting for the situation to become worse to the extent that US or other Western intervention would be required, democratic countries should provide support to home grown democratic movements. It is also a reality that each country will develop its own unique set of democratic values instead of importing them from other countries.
The US, traditionally, has been an open society with free flow of capital and labor across its boundaries that resulted in its unprecedented economic prosperity. This openness is a direct result of a deep democratic values build over 200 years of its history. But 911 changed all this, forcing lawmakers to adopt policies, like the unfair Patriotic Act, to convert US into an increasingly closed society. This is evident from the diversion of intellectuals migrating to Europe instead of opting for US. In the past, it is this intellectual capital that has helped US maintain its technological lead over other developed countries. With the rising phenomena of out sourcing to India and China it is even more important for the US to maintain this technological advantage. It is the basic responsibility of each citizen to protect its homeland from intruders and sabotages but closing the society will only go against the fundamental principles of the US, thereby damaging the American Dream that has survived for almost 2 centuries.
Democracy has proved to be a more successful philosophy as compared to socialism or communism. But it is also unique to each country based on its own culture and tradition. The West, Europe and US, should support democracy by working with the people instead of using external pressures for its implementation.
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