Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Opinion: The tide may be turning in the fight between democracy and autocracy
Democracy, literally, means rule by the people. It is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
The term is derived from the Greek dēmos (“people”) and kratos (“rule”) in the middle of the 5th century BCE in some Greek city-states like Athens. In general, states with democratic governments guarantee fundamental individual rights and allow for a relatively high level of political equality. As compared with nondemocratic states, they also better foster human development, such as health and education, provide more prosperity for their citizens, and ensure a broader range of personal freedoms. On contrary, autocracy is a system of government by a single person or small group that has absolute authority. Autocracy comes from the Ancient Greek autos (“self”) and kratos (“rule”). Autocrats lead their countries with absolute authority, free from checks and balances, and operate above the law, which could be easily reshaped at will. As of 2022, the organization Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) classified approximately 88 of the world's countries as autocracies, representing almost 70% of the world's population. Nowadays, most of the autocratic states are electoral autocracies, where regular elections are held but they fail to reach democratic standards of freedom and fairness. Belarus, Cambodia, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia are a few examples of electoral autocracy while Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Vietnam, and China are closed democracies where the power and authority are above law.
In the last two decades, more states have become electoral autocratic. Do more people prefer autocracy to democracy? Why has democracy been losing its ground and support? Which system brings peace and bread to most citizens?
Enjoy reading the article and think about political systems that are so different from each other.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/09/opinions/democracy-vs-autocracy-protests-georgia-israel-mexico-ghitis/index.html
Opinion: The tide may be turning in the fight between democracy and autocracy
Democracy, literally, means rule by the people. It is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
The term is derived from the Greek dēmos (“people”) and kratos (“rule”) in the middle of the 5th century BCE in some Greek city-states like Athens. In general, states with democratic governments guarantee fundamental individual rights and allow for a relatively high level of political equality. As compared with nondemocratic states, they also better foster human development, such as health and education, provide more prosperity for their citizens, and ensure a broader range of personal freedoms. On contrary, autocracy is a system of government by a single person or small group that has absolute authority. Autocracy comes from the Ancient Greek autos (“self”) and kratos (“rule”). Autocrats lead their countries with absolute authority, free from checks and balances, and operate above the law, which could be easily reshaped at will. As of 2022, the organization Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) classified approximately 88 of the world's countries as autocracies, representing almost 70% of the world's population. Nowadays, most of the autocratic states are electoral autocracies, where regular elections are held but they fail to reach democratic standards of freedom and fairness. Belarus, Cambodia, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia are a few examples of electoral autocracy while Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Vietnam, and China are closed democracies where the power and authority are above law.
In the last two decades, more states have become electoral autocratic. Do more people prefer autocracy to democracy? Why has democracy been losing its ground and support? Which system brings peace and bread to most citizens?
Enjoy reading the article and think about political systems that are so different from each other.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/09/opinions/democracy-vs-autocracy-protests-georgia-israel-mexico-ghitis/index.html
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