Down With Democracy

Some leaders are so insecure that they cannot withstand any hint of opposition or dissent at all. Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, may have an 80-percent approval rating, and yet his party squashed any questions or debate about his record. Democracy is a complicated process, reminds this article in the Economist. “Everything depends on who is allowed to vote, who selects the candidates or drafts the question, and what happens in the years, months, weeks and days beforehand,” states the Economist. “That raises harder questions about the rule of law, public-spiritedness, and the strength of fair-minded, disinterested institutions.” Rule of the majority can quickly become tyranny when individuals lack rights. A true democracy is a system where opponents can plan, offer ideas, question government and cooperate with the leadership, because they trust they will have opportunity to run for office during the next election cycle. Putin’s opponents in Russia do not have that expectation to the detriment of all Russian citizens. – YaleGlobal