Why The West Failed To Spread Democracy

By Dallas Darling
Courtesy Of "World News Network"

PART-1

Whereas France has long taken pride in its resounding slogan of "Liberty!, Equality!, and Fraternity!", Great Britain boasted of its natural rights of life, liberty and property. The United States of America too prides itself of being the first colonial independence movement to have established a declaration with the words: "...all men are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights." Since France invaded and dominated Egypt in 1798, and since Great Britain used the 1882 Arab Revolution as an excuse to launch an invasion of Egypt, exercising a veiled protectorate over the nation until 1946, one would think Egypt would be experiencing a vibrant democracy. With billions of dollars of U.S. economic and military aid, including years of political exertion, one would also expect Egyptians to be basking in liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

But unfortunately this is not the case, as recent protests and unrests in Egypt have shown, not to mention other parts of North Africa and the Middle East. Such attempts to topple dictatorial regimes have actually revealed that the West has failed to spread and expand democracy and human rights. Although there are many present-day reasons for this tragic irony, the inability to spread human rights has its roots in Europe's Age of Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution. During this time, there were powerful forces and ideologies that undermined the universalism of democracy and human liberties. Jean Jacques Rousseau, a French philosopher, understood this when he wrote, "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." The combined forces of Nationalistic Imperialism, Militarism, Capitalism, Extreme Individualism, Elite Scientific Industrialism, Racism, Mercantilism, Eurocentricism, and Zionism, that mixed with enlightened and scientific progress, have regrettably hindered the universalism of democracy and human rights.

Nationalism arose in the West from feudalistic and war-like kingdoms. It is an ideology that seeks to make a nation uniformed, and one which is based on a common geographic, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious, and historical identity. When conjoined with Imperialism, or the desire to invade and control other nation's resources and people, such ideological forces greatly hinder the spread of democracy and human rights. In the attempt of trying to impose one's own nationalistic beliefs and imperial history, a lack of respect and intolerant views towards native rights and customs become very destructive. Militarism also, or the glorification of military ideals and goals, annihilates the natural rights of liberty and property, even life itself. Nation's that live in a constant state of fear and are continually mobilizing for the next great conflict, undermine both domestic rights, the rights of foreigners who they conquer and subjugate. Neither will it ever be able to understand, let alone, pursue economic rights, since resources are consumed by wars.

There is also no such thing as a depoliticized army and military. This is why most enlightened thinkers abhorred and warned against large standing professional armies. In fact, Militarism and true democracy can never coexist, since armies are used to crush popular uprisings for equality. While Militarism seizes and wastes a nation's limited resources and capital by making tradeoffs like food, shelter, education, healthcare, and employment for weapons, tanks, aircraft carriers, military bases, and soldiering, Capitalism socially engineers the individual to be extremely selfish and rapacious. Capitalism originated from the doctrine of Predestination, or God's elect. One sign of being chosen by God was amassing wealth, even if this occurred through military conquests. Today, it is simply called Exceptionalism, a word that is often used by many political leaders in the U.S. It is a doctrine that diminishes the belief systems billions of others around the world adhere too. Simultaneously, Capitalism and democracy can never coexist, especially since the press, petitioning, rule of law, and even voting rights and political parties are funded and controlled by those who have tremendous economic and financial power. Still worse, Capitalism reifies (transforms) ideas, such as life, liberty, justice, peace, and the pursuit of happiness, into concrete objects to be bought and sold and traded and used.

British empire builder Frederick Lugard said: "There are some who say we have no right to Africa at all, that 'it belongs to the natives.' I hold that our right is the necessity that is upon us to provide for our ever-growing population-either by opening new fields for emigration, or by providing work and employment...and to stimulate trade by finding new markets." As much goodness that The Age of Enlightenment and The Scientific Revolution provided for humankind, it was also a double edge sword. In one sense, it only provided progress and advancements in democracy and human rights for a few Western nations and for some of its citizens. In another way, it caused feelings and thoughts of elitism and superiority that were used to justify the conquest and military occupations of foreign nations. Just last week, another detainee at Guantanamo Bay died. It is not known if the detainee died of natural causes or was tortured. What is known, though, is Awal Gul, who had been imprisoned for nine years, was never charged with a crime. Nor did he ever have the right to a fair trial with a jury of his peers. Guantanamo Prison, which is a U.S. military and naval base that occupies Cuba, and Awal Gul are examples of how Nationalistic Militarism undermines democracy and human rights. They also reveal how corporate interests usurp and destroy popular sovereignty in other countries.

(In part two of Why the West Has Failed to Spread Democracy, Extreme Individualism, Elite Scientific Industrialism, Racism, Mercantilism, Eurocentricism, and Zionism will be discussed.)

Dallas Darling

(Dallas Darling is the author of Politics 501: An A-Z Reading on Conscientious Political Thought and Action, Some Nations Above God: 52 Weekly Reflections On Modern-Day Imperialism, Militarism, And Consumerism in the Context of John's Apocalyptic Vision, and The Other Side Of Christianity: Reflections on Faith, Politics, Spirituality, History, and Peace. He is a correspondent for www.worldnews.com. You can read more of Dallas' writings at www.beverlydarling.com and wn.com//dallasdarling.)