The promotion of democracy is a noble endeavor. However, it may give radicalized societies false legitimacy in their promotion of militarism. There is no easy way to combat situations such as terrorist organization Hamas winning the Palestinian elections and student boycotts leading to the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran. The best we can hope to do is lead the world by example.
Regardless of what you think of spreading representative government by force, any effort to promote our political system cannot be successful unless we are consumed by a desire to become better models of democracy ourselves. Much like World War II brought on better race relations as the U.S. battled anti-Semitic fascism, we must improve ourselves to gain the ideological high ground before preaching to others.
Strangely, this transformation has not occurred in the present political climate as the Bush administration has opted to exploit fear as a tool to retain political power. If we insist to Iraqis that democracy is worth the risk, we ought to believe it ourselves. We must be extremely wary of reinterpreting international agreements or giving away our central freedoms due to paranoia. Most importantly, we must restore public confidence in our voting system.
Although some believe all is lost for whatever noble standing the U.S. once had among the international community, I believe we can regain credibility with a few simple steps.
First, President Bush's proposal to rewrite vague portions of the Geneva Convention for American agents should be rejected. Despite the potential pitfalls of international law for our interrogations of enemy combatants, its reinterpretation for our own benefit would set a precedent that international law can be manipulated at convenience.
The long-term effects of this legislation would undo decades of what is among the most important advancements in human history: codified terms of engagement. If the Bush administration has a legitimate gripe with the vague nature the Geneva Convention, it needs to be taken up with the international community. We ought not promote democracy by showing the world how corruptible it is under pressure.
Another snag in our attempts to lead by example is the imprisonment of Pulitzer Prize-winning Iraqi photographer Bilal Hussein, who appeared to be embedded with insurgents. Although his photography is highly suspect, allowing an internationally revered journalist to defend himself in trial poses no threat to our troops. Further, it would be a better step toward winning the war of ideas than sending Karen Hughes to give press conferences in Qatar.
Closer to home, there is no more vital issue than fixing our voting system. Already suspect Diebold voting machines have recently been hacked by a Princeton professor, and in Milwaukee an error nearly doubled turnout in last week's primary. Although the problem was resolved in a manual recount, how long before a programming error like the one in Milwaukee creates civil unrest among portions of a population convinced elections are rigged by a shadowy aristocracy? One need only look as far south as Mexico to consider the effect this might have on our nation's productivity. Because of this threat, we need a comprehensive non-partisan nationwide system that is not wrought with conflicts of interests. (See: Diebold CEO Waldon O'Dell promising to "deliever" Ohio to President Bush before the 2004 elections)
Wisconsin's own Senator Herb Kohl has yet to take a position on what may evolve into the seminal threat to democracy in our lifetimes. The proposed Telecommunications Act overhaul would allow large Internet providers to choose which web sites work fastest based on who generates more money. This breach of the current "Net Neutrality" sets a dangerous precedent for companies and eventually government to apply their own standards to the Internet. Further, its democratizing effect would be severely hindered. If moderate senators like Kohl refuse to take this stand, giant conglomerations will tighten their stranglehold on our media and public discourse.
By strengthening our democratic institutions at home and taking steps to be a better example abroad, we may be able to show the world why our system is worth emulating. While this lesson may be lost on the current administration, we must remember it is impossible to spread democracy by forfeiting it ourselves.
Bassey Etim ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism and political science.
