Democracy's bad rap

Yeltsin's passing and the Nigerian elections serve as reminders that young democracies are all too fragile.

from the April 27, 2007 edition

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Disenchantment leaves an opening for new rulers such as Vladimir Putin to dismantle the legacy of freedoms unsecured by predecessors – all in the name of "restoring order." It's chilling to hear Nigerian government officials hint at a military coup should election losers organize potentially violent protests.

That countries can lose democratic ground, or have a tough time gaining it, is illustrated by the annual report put out by the nonprofit group Freedom House. The world is in a kind of "freedom stagnation," according to the report, which says the percentage of countries that rank as "free" has remained flat for nearly a decade.

The tally for last year found freedom gains in Guyana, Haiti, and Nepal. But elected leaders pushed back at political opposition and the media in countries such as Venezuela and Ecuador. The Asia-Pacific region also suffered setbacks, with an elected Thai prime minister (also tarred by corruption charges) ousted in a military coup last year.

To be sure, leaders of young democracies inherit some awful conditions: wrecked economies, trampled human rights, and religious and ethnic strife. But they can also create or perpetuate them. Ukraine's president wasn't willing to compromise enough with his "orange revolution" colleagues, and now faces a parliamentary crisis. Iraq is struggling for a national democracy that can include and yet restrain Shiite, Sunni, and Kurd identities.

It's not too late for Nigeria's new leader – and others – to restore faith in democracy.

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