Democratic principles
I read with interest your Sept. 26 article Democracy, product of East and West by Georgi Shakhnazarov and noted especially his opinion that "if a world government based on consistent democratic principles and with sufficient powers and rights to manage resources is not created within the next 20 to 30 years, an apocalypse is in store for the world." The condition specified here, the creation of a world government based on consistent democratic principles, looks unlikely to be met, as is shown by short consideration of what is meant by "democratic principles."
Democracy meant rule by the demos, the people. In practice, the central institution of democracy was the Assembly, of some 30,000 members, and the fundamental principle was that of rule by the majority of the people. But even in a small city like Athens, implementing the "majority rules" principle was not easy. The Assembly, for instance, did not include women, children, slaves or non-native Athenians, so rule by the majority of the Assembly actually meant rule by the majority of adult, male, native citizens.
In large, modern nations, the situation is even more complex. Except in the rare case of referenda, citizens do not vote directly on important affairs of state. Instead they vote only periodically in elections, in which they choose representatives who will make decisions on their behalf. But an electoral system can easily fail to implement the principle of rule by the majority, as we can see by asking a few simple questions.
First: Who votes? In some countries, many people are not allowed to vote. Children, women, immigrants, illiterate people, prison residents, members of the armed forces, and those considered "insane" are among those most often excluded.
Second: Who is voted for? Usually, those who are disqualified from voting are also disqualified from being candidates for election.
Third: How are the votes counted? Cheating, by creating fictitious voters, misreading ballots and so on is notoriously common.
Fourth: How do the elected representatives exercise their mandate to govern? In some countries, such as the U.S., there is a separation of the executive branch of government from the legislative assembly, with separate elections for each.
By briefly considering even simple questions such as these, we can see that the problems to be overcome in instituting a world government based on democratic principles are huge. Given the fear that the prospect of such a government is sure to create among powerful interest groups, it seems impossible that it could be set up within the next 30 years. If, therefore, Mr. Shakhnazarov is correct, an apocalypse is in store for the world.
JOHN HARGREAVES
Jakarta