Subject: POTUS on Democracy at UNGA
From: "Ken Wollack" <[email-masked]>
To: "Ken Wollack" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2016 14:20:17 -0400

Strong words on democracy from President Obama at UNGA today -- excerpted
below:

With best regards,

Ken

Kenneth Wollack
President
National Democratic Institute
455 Massachusetts Ave., NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20001
202-728-5500 (Tel)
888-875-2887 (Fax)
email: [email-masked]
website: www.ndi.org

I do not think that America can -- or should -- impose our system of
government on other countries.  But there appears to be growing contest
between authoritarianism and liberalism right now.  And I want everybody to
understand, I am not neutral in that contest.  I believe in a liberal
political order -- an order built not just through elections and
representative government, but also through respect for human rights and
civil society, and independent judiciaries and the rule of law.

I know that some countries, which now recognize the power of free markets,
still reject the model of free societies.  And perhaps those of us who have
been promoting democracy feel somewhat discouraged since the end of the
Cold War, because we've learned that liberal democracy will not just wash
across the globe in a single wave.  It turns out building accountable
institutions is hard work -- the work of generations.  The gains are often
fragile.  Sometimes we take one step forward and then two steps back.  In
countries held together by borders drawn by colonial powers, with ethnic
enclaves and tribal divisions, politics and elections can sometimes appear
to be a zero-sum game.  And so, given the difficulty in forging true
democracy in the face of these pressures, it’s no surprise that some argue
the future favors the strongman, a top-down model, rather than strong,
democratic institutions.

But I believe this thinking is wrong.  I believe the road of true democracy
remains the better path.  I believe that in the 21st century, economies can
only grow to a certain point until they need to open up -- because
entrepreneurs need to access information in order to invent; young people
need a global education in order to thrive; independent media needs to
check the abuses of power.  Without this evolution, ultimately expectations
of people will not be met; suppression and stagnation will set in.  And
history shows that strongmen are then left with two paths -- permanent
crackdown, which sparks strife at home, or scapegoating enemies abroad,
which can lead to war.

Now, I will admit, my belief that governments serve the individual, and not
the other way around, is shaped by America’s story.  Our nation began with
a promise of freedom that applied only to the few.  But because of our
democratic Constitution, because of our Bill of Rights, because of our
ideals, ordinary people were able to organize, and march, and protest, and
ultimately, those ideals won out -- opened doors for women and minorities
and workers in ways that made our economy more productive and turned our
diversity into a strength; that gave innovators the chance to transform
every area of human endeavor; that made it possible for someone like me to
be elected President of the United States.

So, yes, my views are shaped by the specific experiences of America, but I
do not think this story is unique to America.  Look at the transformation
that's taken place in countries as different as Japan and Chile, Indonesia,
Botswana.  The countries that have succeeded are ones in which people feel
they have a stake.

In Europe, the progress of those countries in the former Soviet bloc that
embraced democracy stand in clear contrast to those that did not.  After
all, the people of Ukraine did not take to the streets because of some plot
imposed from abroad.  They took to the streets because their leadership was
for sale and they had no recourse.  They demanded change because they saw
life get better for people in the Baltics and in Poland, societies that
were more liberal, and democratic, and open than their own.

So those of us who believe in democracy, we need to speak out forcefully,
because both the facts and history, I believe, are on our side.  That
doesn’t mean democracies are without flaws.  It does mean that the cure for
what ails our democracies is greater engagement by our citizens -- not
less.

Yes, in America, there is too much money in politics; too much entrenched
partisanship; too little participation by citizens, in part because of a
patchwork of laws that makes it harder to vote.  In Europe, a
well-intentioned Brussels often became too isolated from the normal push
and pull of national politics.  Too often, in capitals, decision-makers
have forgotten that democracy needs to be driven by civic engagement from
the bottom up, not governance by experts from the top down.  And so these
are real problems, and as leaders of democratic governments make the case
for democracy abroad, we better strive harder to set a better example at
home.

Moreover, every country will organize its government informed by centuries
of history, and the circumstances of geography, and the deeply held beliefs
of its people.  So I recognize a traditional society may value unity and
cohesion more than a diverse country like my own, which was founded upon
what, at the time, was a radical idea -- the idea of the liberty of
individual human beings endowed with certain God-given rights.  But that
does not mean that ordinary people in Asia, or Africa, or the Middle East
somehow prefer arbitrary rule that denies them a voice in the decisions
that can shape their lives.  I believe that spirit is universal.  And if
any of you doubt the universality of that desire, listen to the voices of
young people everywhere who call out for freedom, and dignity, and the
opportunity to control their own lives