Democracy The World Over

To make real the promise of democracy in a global world, we must learn to listen to people whose opinions we find profoundly disagreeable - and then engage with their arguments, rather than proceed to personal attacks.

The key word here is "global". The rules of democracy were developed in the 19th and 20th centuries to permit peaceful changes of government within nations. Despite permitting many great advances, they were not always successful - the failures are notorious, from the American civil war to Hitler.


The passions that democratic politics ushered in then were played out within nations. In the 21st century, the arena of democratic argument has become global. The last century should be a warning. If we want to avoid decades of what we can describe only as global civil war, we need to make international democracy work.

This article from Aljazeera.Net is true to the letter. If we want to be able to have peace all over the world than we need to think of the world not just of America. If we always act in our own self-interest than we are unable (or unwilling) to help others. If we only solve our problems, than the problems of the world will not get solved. America is not the only reason this world exists. Even though many people would want the UN and other international groups under our control, but that would void the reason for international diplomacy and international relations. America is a superpower in the world, but shown by recent events, we are not the ONLY power in the world. America must learn this and this idea of spreading democracy cannot only include what we believe is right, but it must include what the world thinks is right.