Democracies and Democracy
Historically, the General Assembly has adopted resolutions on Democracy annually, and the Millennium Declaration and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development have reaffirmed these commitments. Democracies are characterized by the principles of freedom and respect for human rights, as well as the principle of holding periodic elections. They provide the environment for the protection and effective realization of human rights. In short, they are the cornerstones of a flourishing democracy. However, these principles are not enough in and of themselves. To ensure a democracy, governments should also invest in the fundamentals of freedom and human rights.
While defining democracy, it is important to remember that democracy varies from country to country. There is no single model of democracy that fits all nations, and assessing democracy from a single perspective or yardstick is unfair. Each country’s democracy has its own unique value. Therefore, it is important for the international community to engage in democratic dialogues on democracy on an equal footing, working to improve the quality of democracy in every nation. To make sure that democracy is working for everyone, we must understand that democracy is a fundamental right that should be protected and upheld for all citizens.
While the US claims to be the city on a hill, it has become a grave case of democracy. Its ‘democracy’ has departed from the original design and is now a system of the rich men. It has been hampered by systemic racism and racial tension. Ultimately, it has lost its relevance as a model for democracy in the world. But the specter of a democracy in America has remained a question for the international community.
The term ‘democracy’ has ancient Greek origins. Demos means whole citizen and kratos means power. Demos means “rule of the people.” In ancient Greece, a democracy was practiced in Athens, and was called ‘true democracy’ in the fifth century bce. Various forms of democracy emerged throughout history, from direct democracy in ancient Athens to the representative democracy of the United States. In all, democracy represents the evolution of humanity.
The Economist Intelligence Unit compiles the Democracy Index, which ranks the democratic quality of 167 countries. It tracks 60 indicators across five categories, and rates each category on a 0-10 scale. The index covers 165 independent states in 2019.
Democracies are important for the functioning of a democracy because it gives the people the ability to choose their government leaders and hold them accountable. Regular elections determine who will represent the people in parliament and head the government at the national and local levels. Consent is the ultimate form of political authority. Power is vested in the people, and laws must be supported by a majority of parliament to become effective. This means that citizens should be engaged in the decision-making process and be informed about it.
Historically, the General Assembly has adopted resolutions on Democracy annually, and the Millennium Declaration and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development have reaffirmed these commitments. Democracies are characterized by the principles of freedom and respect for human rights, as well as the principle of holding periodic elections. They provide the environment for the protection and effective realization of human rights. In short, they are the cornerstones of a flourishing democracy. However, these principles are not enough in and of themselves. To ensure a democracy, governments should also invest in the fundamentals of freedom and human rights. While defining democracy, it is important to remember that democracy varies from country to country. There is no single model of democracy that fits all nations, and assessing democracy from a single perspective or yardstick is unfair. Each country’s democracy has its own unique value. Therefore, it is important for the international community to engage in democratic dialogues on democracy on an equal footing, working to improve the quality of democracy in every nation. To make sure that democracy is working for everyone, we must understand that democracy is a fundamental right that should be protected and upheld for all citizens. While the US claims to be the city on a hill, it has become a grave case of democracy. Its ‘democracy’ has departed from the original design and is now a system of the rich men. It has been hampered by systemic racism and racial tension. Ultimately, it has lost its relevance as a model for democracy in the world. But the specter of a democracy in America has remained a question for the international community. The term ‘democracy’ has ancient Greek origins. Demos means whole citizen and kratos means power. Demos means “rule of the people.” In ancient Greece, a democracy was practiced in Athens, and was called ‘true democracy’ in the fifth century bce. Various forms of democracy emerged throughout history, from direct democracy in ancient Athens to the representative democracy of the United States. In all, democracy represents the evolution of humanity. The Economist Intelligence Unit compiles the Democracy Index, which ranks the democratic quality of 167 countries. It tracks 60 indicators across five categories, and rates each category on a 0-10 scale. The index covers 165 independent states in 2019. Democracies are important for the functioning of a democracy because it gives the people the ability to choose their government leaders and hold them accountable. Regular elections determine who will represent the people in parliament and head the government at the national and local levels. Consent is the ultimate form of political authority. Power is vested in the people, and laws must be supported by a majority of parliament to become effective. This means that citizens should be engaged in the decision-making process and be informed about it.