Chap. 1: What is 'Western Democracy'

The Government of the United States of America, the leading beacon for Western style democracy in International arenas, defines the pillars of democracy as follows:

• Sovereignty of the people.
• Government based upon consent of the governed.
• Majority rule.
• Minority rights.
• Guarantee of basic human rights.
• Free and fair elections.
• Equality before the law.
• Due process of law.
• Constitutional limits on government.
• Social, economic, and political pluralism.
• Values of tolerance, pragmatism, cooperation, and compromise.[1]

Though this defines quite clearly the western take on democracy, for the purpose of this paper, we will define as ‘Western Democracy’, a system of government that is largely built on Western European traditions and principles, and European intellectual heritage, from the Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, and the institutions started during the Roman Empire, and loosely draws its present institutional arrangements from the English system of ‘mixed’ government, born out of the various progressive changes in that kingdom between 1215 (Magna Carta) and 1701 (act of Settlement), and ever since. It is a system of government that depends on the sovereignty of the people, within a sovereign state; a sovereignty which the people exercise through a representative government, based on the principle of separation of the legislative, executive and judiciary powers outlined by the philosophers of the enlightenment era (Rousseau[2], Voltaire, Montesquieu[3], etc). Key to this construct, are the principle of political pluralism and a multi-party system. It is finally a system of government that aims at guaranteeing for the people it oversees, the human rights and freedoms outlined in various bills and declarations between 1689 (Bill of Rights of the United Kingdom) and 1948 (the Universal Declaration of Human Rights).

With this definition, we believe, it is fair to claim that, at the ideal level, a form of this system can be beneficial for all humans, of any country, as it potentially places the tools for change in the hands of the very said humans. Nevertheless, as stated above, this form of government is a result of a very complex process in history, which has influenced the outcome that we now observe. We have also seen that the new African states eventually ‘chose’ to establish similar models; they however often failed repeatedly, clearing the way for never ending periods of unrest. One might think that with similar institutions one should expect similar outcomes, and it is not the case here. We need to examine the process by which these institutions have arisen in both realms – the West and Africa. This will assist in determining the source of the problem.
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[1] From the United States State Department websitehttp://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/whatsdem/whatdm2.htm
[2] The Social Contract or Principles of Political Right, J. -J. Rousseau
[3] The Spirit of laws, Montesquieu