Democracy and Culture

Especially since Vietnam, many believe that democracy may not work in non-European cultures. A friend recently even limited that to Northern European cultures. His thought was that other parts of the world were too “tribal.” This is very much the rap against America’s plans in Iraq.

I strongly disagree. Democracy already works pretty well in a lot of nations outside Northern Europe: India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan; not to mention Italy, Spain, Greece, and so forth. The advantages of democracy are pretty obvious, to people in the Third World as much as in the First. Polls show the average Arab in the street, for example, certainly wants it.

The great advantage of democracy is not that the people get to choose their own government. Who cares? The point is to get the best government, and there is no reason to suppose the popular majority have any special insight in that regard.

No; the great advantage of democracy is that it offers a peaceful way to change governments when one is plainly not working. An undemocratic society must either struggle indefinitely under an incompetent, corrupt, or oppressive government, or accept the chaos of civil war. Indeed, it must often accept the periodic chaos of civil war anyway, as autocratic leaders die without clear successors. The advantage of a hereditary monarchy, the best government system other than democracy, is that it at least ensures at most times a peaceful succession. Nevertheless, unlike democracy, it does not allow a bad ruler to be replaced.

Even for the rulers, democracy is the best deal. Yes, it might be good to be king. Yes, democracy unpleasantly allows them to be replaced. But it also allows them to die in their beds, a luxury autocratic rulers cannot anticipate. The attraction of this does not depend on culture.

But, regardless of culture, it is very difficult to establish a democracy. It requires a responsible and moral ruling class; and one that is responsible and moral almost to a woman and a man. For democracy requires a gentleman's agreement in which those in power do not crush opposition when they have a chance, but allow themselves to be peacefully replaced, in confidence that the next group will behave the same way and will not crush them. It's very tough to build up that trust. It's very easy to lose it.

The most important thing George Washington ever did for the United States was to serve two terms as president, and then voluntarily leave power, even though he could have been re-elected--or probably, could even have had himself named king. That is the entire difference between the American Revolution, and the French, or English, or Russian one.

And that is the miracle America needs in Iraq.