The Concept of Democracy
The word democracy conjures up a wide range of emotional responses from fear to adoration. However, in the field of political science there is a desire to define the concept as objectively and scientifically as possible. The underlying idea of democracy is to allow for the transfer of power in an orderly manner from one popularly mandated leader or party to another, without the kind of bloodshed and upheaval that characterise most other forms of government.
In this sense, democracy requires free and fair elections; the separation of powers; an independent judiciary; checks and balances on the power of public authorities; freedom of thought, speech and assembly; and reasonable equality before the law. These are fundamental democratic rights that also provide the foundations for conflict-resolution processes.
Nevertheless, there are only very few countries that have moved from intractable conflict to a genuine multiracial democracy, and even these have been slow to consolidate. There is no doubt that the process of democratisation is extremely complex, and it can only be successful if a society has already reached a certain level of political and social maturity that allows it to grasp and accept democratic ideas and values, without threatening its traditional referents of identity and beliefs about what constitutes the common good.
For this reason, many analysts believe that a successful democratisation should start at the level of civil society, with favourable changes in cultural and social structures. Any attempt to impose a democracy from outside – as was the case in Japan and Germany in the immediate post-World War II period, or in East Timor before 2006 – risks being defeated by domestic forces that cannot unite around opposition to backsliding on democratic norms and principles.
This is particularly the case where different groups attach differing values to democracy, and can only support the rejection of a particular form of backsliding by virtue of their shared opposition to that form of backsliding. Furthermore, any infringement of other human rights will affect the extent to which citizens are able to participate in democratic governance: for example poverty, poor health and homelessness make it difficult or impossible for people to vote.
In these circumstances, the concept of democratisation has become one of the central issues in contemporary political theory and practice. It has had a major impact on the field of political science, and a growing number of scholars are now looking at the causes and consequences of democratisation as an integral part of the study of political regimes. The relevance of this new area of research to the field of conflict-resolution is also becoming apparent. It is important to understand how a stable democracy can emerge from the very tensions and distrust that often give rise to intractable conflict, and how this can be used as a means to bring about sustainable peace. It is also important to develop the institutions and value systems that underpin the cooperation and trust that are prerequisites for conflict-resolution.
The word democracy conjures up a wide range of emotional responses from fear to adoration. However, in the field of political science there is a desire to define the concept as objectively and scientifically as possible. The underlying idea of democracy is to allow for the transfer of power in an orderly manner from one popularly mandated leader or party to another, without the kind of bloodshed and upheaval that characterise most other forms of government. In this sense, democracy requires free and fair elections; the separation of powers; an independent judiciary; checks and balances on the power of public authorities; freedom of thought, speech and assembly; and reasonable equality before the law. These are fundamental democratic rights that also provide the foundations for conflict-resolution processes. Nevertheless, there are only very few countries that have moved from intractable conflict to a genuine multiracial democracy, and even these have been slow to consolidate. There is no doubt that the process of democratisation is extremely complex, and it can only be successful if a society has already reached a certain level of political and social maturity that allows it to grasp and accept democratic ideas and values, without threatening its traditional referents of identity and beliefs about what constitutes the common good. For this reason, many analysts believe that a successful democratisation should start at the level of civil society, with favourable changes in cultural and social structures. Any attempt to impose a democracy from outside – as was the case in Japan and Germany in the immediate post-World War II period, or in East Timor before 2006 – risks being defeated by domestic forces that cannot unite around opposition to backsliding on democratic norms and principles. This is particularly the case where different groups attach differing values to democracy, and can only support the rejection of a particular form of backsliding by virtue of their shared opposition to that form of backsliding. Furthermore, any infringement of other human rights will affect the extent to which citizens are able to participate in democratic governance: for example poverty, poor health and homelessness make it difficult or impossible for people to vote. In these circumstances, the concept of democratisation has become one of the central issues in contemporary political theory and practice. It has had a major impact on the field of political science, and a growing number of scholars are now looking at the causes and consequences of democratisation as an integral part of the study of political regimes. The relevance of this new area of research to the field of conflict-resolution is also becoming apparent. It is important to understand how a stable democracy can emerge from the very tensions and distrust that often give rise to intractable conflict, and how this can be used as a means to bring about sustainable peace. It is also important to develop the institutions and value systems that underpin the cooperation and trust that are prerequisites for conflict-resolution.