Democratic Elections example essay topic

Zakaria points out that many despots came to power through democratic means, often with large majorities. Democratically elected Salvador Allende came to power in Chile with only 36% of the vote - and enacted some illiberal policies. In contrast, Zakaria observes that there are countries that do not hold elections, but have been run as "liberal autocracies" that have created the conditions for sound economies and robust civil institutions (Pastor 255). Countries like Singapore or Tunisia are not democratic, but have thrived as a result liberal economies and strong institutions and as a result have increasingly free societies. Following the end of the Cold War, the wave of democratization led not to liberal democracy, but tribalism (Kaufmann 624). Zakaria recounts how in 1996 a French politician made a visit to Belgrade to lend his moral support to students demonstrating against Slobodan Milosevic - only to be kicked out of their office and declared an enemy of the Serbs, because the students were angry at Milosevic for having lost the war in Bosnia.

Though Zakaria doesn't mention it, Slobodan Milosevic was equally popular in Kosovo where the Serb community, not so long ago in the majority in the province, saw him as the defender of their rights and land against the ever expanding Albanians nationalism (Ceram i 152). In the case of Africa, elections have sometimes furthered tribalism, entrenched despots and produced corruption. Extreme poverty means that people in developing countries feel that their region or tribe has been "underdeveloped" and other regions or tribes favored economically. Regions or tribes are desperate to get their man in power (however unsavory he may be) in order to get roads, schools, hospitals, etc (Yale Law Journal). In Nigeria for example, the Delta region, Biafra region, the Islamic north all feel they have been neglected, when in reality there is no evidence for this. Following democratic elections, there has been an upsurge in regional, religious and ethnic chauvinism (despite attempts at creating a liberal constitution).

In Uganda (like Nigeria, not an example used by Zakaria), the attempt to impose multiparty democracy by western nations and donors, has been resisted and Uganda has taken the path for the moment of a "no-party democracy". Uganda is a country that has been wracked by ethnic rivalry in the past and has seen the problems of ethnic rivalry in democratic and undemocratic neighboring countries. There is a strenuous effort to crack down on corruption and tax-evasion, and there are some innovative measures designed to make institutions more transparent (Pastor 257).