Tuesday 22 March 2011

Friday 11 February

This evening, Can presents “Is Democracy the Fate of All Nations?”

The civil unrest in many middle eastern and north African countries is under the spotlight. Particular attention is drawn to Egypt and constant battle of the demonstrators to oust Husni Mubarak. These events could motivate one to ask 3 questions below (among many):

1) Why did the protests spread in the region?

2) Why are they happening right now but did not happen years ago?

3) What will be the outcome of these protests?

I would like to center the discussion on the following basis:

1) Is democratization fate of all nations?

One may argue that all societies inevitably converge to democratic paths, but just follow different trajectories.

Another may argue that each society has their own convergent states, so every trajectory is different from another.

2) Can we install democracy (call it top-to-bottom exercise)? Even if we could, are institutions more robust in societies where path to democracy started from bottom and worked up?

Think of evolution vs. revolution type arguments.

3) Assuming one type of democracy is best for all societies, regardless race, culture, geography etc. what happens when the very foundations of democracy create conflict of interests among nations?

West wants democracy to spread to other parts of the world. But in middle-east it implies anti-west parties being ``elected''. Would west really want democracy for the region regardless the consequences?

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-to-make-of-rising-food-prices-1297117508303 (Opinion piece on food prices and linkage to civil unrest)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12327995 (Timeline of Egypt Unrest)

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-a-new-truth-dawns-on-the-arab-world-2194488.html (Robert Fisk on Arab World's revolt)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/06/AR2011020603699.html (Parallels between riots of Egypt now and Iran in 1979)

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