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The Expansion of the Ideology of Freedom
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15006 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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| Issue
Date : |
9 / 1988 |
3,537 Words |
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Philip Nicolaides is director of the Foundation for Africa's
Future. |
Western democratic values are not simply glittering generalities created anew each day. The Western democratic system is a coherent set of values and practices, substantiated by centuries of experience. Democracy and liberty are tangible, relevant, and universal concepts. They are embodied in a self-evident philosophy, the applicability of which is greater now than even before. Western democratic ideals have a profoundly humane purpose--the affirmation of human dignity and the pursuit of happiness. This system is nothing less than a civilization--conceivably, the natural civilization of the human species.
To embody this concept in diplomacy is not chauvinism. On the contrary, it reflects both common sense and a profound humanity. As a practical matter, the extension of democratic practices is desirable in the international sphere for two reasons: First, democratic governments are confident about their legitimacy, and are much more likely to resolve their differences peacefully than are nondemocratic share a regard for the rule of law. This provides the basis for a mutual sympathy, something that communicates a sense of national and international responsibility, reinforces international order, and minimizes reckless behavior.
The United States was established as a republican democracy. Americans historically appreciated that a salient characteristic of being a democracy is a commitment to spreading the benefits of democracy abroad. It is entirely consistent for an American government to make the promotion of democracy the core of its foreign policy. It is equally consistent for the United States to make the currency of democratic practice the primary medium of diplomatic exchange for the Free
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