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| I think it is fair to say that we live in a time when the very idea of democracy is in question, not least because of its own failure to deliver on the promise of universal justice and human rights. Democracy is rightfully an ideal to be aspired to, but once established, it tends to become nothing more than a process that can easily be hijacked to serve as an enabler and apologist for the accumulation of wealth. What we have now is a core group of wealthy democracies that seek to protect themselves from the pressing demands of those excluded from the game. Within these democracies, it is tempting to imagine that an empire would be a more direct way to achieve the same ends, since it would no longer be necessary to pay homage to outmoded ideals of liberty which place limits on forthright action. Outside these democracies, another question poses itself. If this is the true face of democracy, what use is it to us? Why should we seek to enter a game that is stacked against us, where we aren't even welcome? In these conditions, if democracy in its true sense is to survive and flourish, there is an urgent necessity to reaffirm its original impulse, which is a message to all humanity. All human beings, everywhere on the planet, have the right to participate in the decisions that affect their lives. All human beings have the right to organize, to assemble, to openly debate questions of public policy, to disagree in good conscience, to choose their leaders and their form of government. The common interest ultimately prevails over private interests, but the common interest must be the product of consent. In extreme cases, when decisions are imposed without consent and no redress is possible, all human beings have the right to revolt, to throw out the contract and try again. In a world where decisions made in one country can affect lives half a world away, islands of democracy here and there in "suitable conditions" are not enough. Democracy must be universal, or it is meaningless. That is the message for our time. |
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