The Economist, a journal that is respected around the world, has joined a growing chorus of reports that democracy is failing [The Economist Essay – May 2015 – What’s gone wrong with democracy?]
You might think that this is stating the obvious: democratic governments are often deadlocked and every election seems to trigger arguments, which too often lead to violence.
So far the global response has been bizarre.
In 2013 the elected government in Egypt started to change the country’s new constitution – an action seen by many as a first step that could lead, sooner or later, to the end of democracy. That concern led to a military take-over, displacing the elected government that had started so soon to change the rules.
The response of the United Nations, the United States and many others was simply to call for more elections. It was like saying: “That went horribly wrong so let’s do it again”. Elections had led directly to the crisis – and more elections would lead to another, probably with more violence, but the international community had nothing else to suggest.
In short, the Economist is stating the obvious. Even old-established and respected institutions now see that democracy is failing. A safer solution is needed. We believe we have a solution: Live Forum TV
Photograph by Sasha Maksymenko.