Democracy – playing the devil’s advocate
By former Canada’s World blogger Lisa Wagner:
In spite of the recent attention of bloggers to the current situation in Zimbabwe, I find myself needing to also make comments on Canada’s role – not only in Zimbabwe but in global democracy.
Democracy is complicated. In Canada we complain about our own democracy – the Liberals and Conservatives are SO similar…do we really have a choice? Does a vote for the NDP actually do anything? Who knows. However, compared to the democracy we’ve found in Zimbabwe this past while, I think it’s safe to say we’ve got it good.
While Canada and other nations threat sanctions on Zimbabwe to encourage president Robert Mugabe to hold fully free elections, although I am pretty sold on this “democracy” idea, I’ve got to wonder if it is really the best regime for other nations. Democracy does not answer all problems, as history has shown. While Mugabe’s tactics to win the recent election have been less than moral by Western standards, it’s not like we haven’t seen it before in industrialized democracies – think Hitler for example.
The question I am attempting to raise is not what should be done in Zimbabwe, but whether or not the world even has a role to intervene. Western democracy has taken many decades, centuries even, to develop, and has been through it’s own similar trials on its legitimacy. Perhaps this is a phase in the evolution of Zimbabwe’s democracy – much like the rule of Hitler has taught the German’s to be more aware and reorganize their political system to dilute power among many. Let’s look also at the recent situation in Afghanistan – where NATO forces are attempting to stabilize the country and implement a democratic system of government. Until Afghanistan is ready to build it’s own style of democracy, outside forces cannot simply give it to the nation and expect it to work right away. Like our own systems, nations new to democracy need to be able to “work out the bugs” through trial and error.
As Canadians, most of us value personal freedom on democracy, myself included. However, elsewhere in the world, democracy may not be as valued. To what extent are democratic nations pushing their own ideas onto countries that are not ready for them. This is also a question of values – some nations value stability and equality over personal choice. Let’s face it, there are cons as well as pros to Western style democracy, and maybe these cons are more overwhelming to some than the cons of dictatorship.
While I myself am a true supporter of democracy, I would only like to pose the question: does Canada have a right or even a responsibility to intervene in nations where democracy is threatened, or is this simply pushing Western values onto nations that aren’t ready (and may never be ready) to open up to these ideas?
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While I love this post when put in the context of Afghanistan and Iraq – countries where the concept of democracy really has been hoisted upon them as of late – I’m not so sure that Zimbabwe falls into this category.
How soon we forget that Zimbabwe not so long ago (around 5 years) was still the jewel of Africa with a strong economy based on manufacturing, agriculture and tourism. Back in the day Robert Mugabe really did win elections without the need for intimidation. He was a revolutionary war hero who delivered on the African independence dream. I’m not saying he was a saint throughout his long rule(far from it), but he was a respected leader and for good reason. Then something happened.
I have yet to hear a clear account of how and when the power overcame him, but he definitely lost his mojo and the people of Zimbabwe noticed. And that is why he had to start making such dramatic and brutal steps to hold onto power. Not because the international community pushed him to do so, but because his own people wanted new leadership. They wanted democracy to work for them, but (as you mention in your post) the system still has several more baby steps to make before it is mature. And immaturity is never pretty.
As for the question of what is the right response the international community (including Canada) should make in this age of the responsibility to protect, I would have to side with canworldjon’s opinion – it is time for the African Union to set the moral tone as the African continent readies itself to step out from the long shadow of colonialism.
This is an excellent and thought-provoking post. Personally, I’m very skeptical about the merits of trying to foist democracy on countries like Zimbabwe and Afghanistan. I wouldn’t even say that they’re “not ready” for democracy, but rather that democracy is not necessarily right for them at this stage in their history, and indeed may never be right for them depending on how they feel about the “pros” and “cons” you mentioned.
In the specific case of Zimbabwe, outsiders have been meddling in the country – first as colonists, then as more or less well-intentioned members of the “international community” – since the days of Cecil Rhodes. So far the results have not been promising. Perhaps it’s time for Canada and others to stand back and let Zimbabwe and its neighbours find their own solutions.