What is Wrong With Modern Democracy (Research Paper Sample)

WHAT IS WRONG WITH MODERN DEMOCRACY?
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Abraham Lincoln described democracy as a form of government that is driven by the people, and for the people. This definition simply meant that the citizenry has a major role in the running of the government. Decisions are made via popular vote, and fundamental rights and freedoms are allowed to flourish. The people crave for a system that is efficient and is governed by a given set of rules that promote equality, justice and economic prosperity. However, democracy has encountered quite a number of bottlenecks over the past two decades. It has been tainted with corruption, abuse of basic human rights and massive debt. So why is the modern democracy scrambling to flourish? First and foremost, institutions that are required to sustain democracy are either muzzled or non-existent. For example, the European parliament that was set up revive democracy in Europe is largely ignored and disregarded. Although modern democracy has been touted as an effective form of government, it has numerous shortcomings and challenges that show that it is not the best form of governance.
Secondly, political dynasties have been a major hindrance to liberalism and birthing of new ideas and policies. For instance in India, the political dynasty has so much dominance that it has led to major voter apathy. Furthermore, politicians no longer value the support of the masses and instead solicit for political mileage from party sycophants. This trend is common in the United States where congressional appeals hold more weight than the opinion of the citizenry. This concept greatly disenfranchises the voters, and, therefore, few people are taking part in elections or matters of national interest. The political old guards have hijacked the democratic process to a great extent. Another succinct example is South Africa that rose from the pangs of apartheid, but is still ruled by African National Congress, a political party that is over a century old.
Thirdly, democratic nations are reverting to autocracies where public opinion is disregarded, and the opposition offers little to no option because it is equally hopeless. This trend has stalled the progress of democracy in many nations. Rights and freedoms have been curtailed by political bulldozers even though institutions have been set up to monitor them. This autocracy is also facilitated by organizing elections at an attempt to maintain a superficial outlook of democracy. These elections are marred by massive rigging and interference by politicians who hold loot of the national resources. This concept is a phenomenon characteristic of African nations especially in countries such as Zimbabwe, Uganda and South Africa. This autocracy also contributes to voter apathy as citizens feel that they yield no power or say in the national government. More so, it is a great contributor to the wave of the Arab Spring from 2008 in countries such as Syria and Libya.
In the West, democracy has been associated with debt and dysfunction. Voters themselves greatly depend on the government, and this forces it to expand its resources to accommodate the needs of the citizenry. For example, the United States of America has been terribly grappling with the economic debt crisis since 2008. Giving of easy credit to please the masses instead of investing in long-term projects has also contributed to the citizenry’s loss of hope in their governments. They perceive this as the government’s inability to foster any economic growth. Case in point is in India where the government has focused on retirement benefits instead of improving on infrastructure.
Another factor that has contributed to the demise of democracy is the obvious imperialism of the World’s Superpower; it serves as a template on which democracy thrives. However, America itself is crippled by gerrymandering, economic debt and floundering terrorism. Developing nations that emulate the democratic processes of America are, therefore, losing confidence in the integrity of the i...