Commentary

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March 3, 2011

by: Ross Kentner

We like to think of ourselves as bastions of democracy but countries in the western world don’t like to rock the boat. We mistake political stability for peace. Sometimes we go so far as to put a country like Libya on the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

We’re all very familiar with American complicity in situations like this. We remember how the U.S. accepted such authoritarian regimes in Pakistan and Panama. Only when the U.S. turned on its former ally, Saddam Hussein, or when the Egyptians ousted Hosni Mubarak, do we realize the price the developed world pays for political stability. It isn’t just the States that support these tyrants. The whole international community including Canada is more comfortable with equilibrium than revolution.

Warren Allmand, Canadian President of the World Federalist Movement, says it’s time to re-orient our foreign and development policies to anticipate the wave of change sweeping North Africa and the Middle East. The problem he says, is that far too often, we throw our support to authoritarian regimes failing to recognize that the best guarantee of international stability is to keep pressure on democratization and human rights in these countries.

This week this outstanding Canadian issued a nine point test of real democracy.

1. Full respect for human rights, including minority rights and gender equality;
2. Full respect for the rule of law;
3. An independent judiciary;
4. An independent legislature;
5. An equitable distribution of wealth;
6. Control the military and police by civil authority;
7. Public accountability and an on-going process for consultation;
8. Transparency and access to information;

9. A free and active civil society.

Commentary is Commentary, with Ross Kentner, can be heard on 560 CFOS Tuesdays & Thursdays at 7:08 am and 5:08 pm