Democratic Consolidation in Asia

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There is no use denying the fact that the modern world could be characterized by the increase of the level of attention given to such issues as humanism, tolerance and human rights. Having passed through two world wars and lost millions of people, humanity realized the fact that the world should be changed if mankind wants to survive. That is why the shift of some values and attitudes towards certain issues could be observed.

A human being becomes the most important value which should be protected ad cared about. Therefore, the attempts to find the form of government which will be able to guarantee the creation of all these conditions appeared. One realized the fact that totalitarian states of the past could not continue their existence as it led to thousands of victims. Under these conditions, the world needed a new pattern to reorganize some states and create new beneficial conditions for people. Democracy became this very kind of state structure that could help to do it.

Starting the analysis of the given issue, it is vital to outline the background of the growth of democracy in various states and conditions that had a great impact on these processes. The fact is that WWII triggered a great number of various processes.

People obtained the thirst for freedom and realized the fact that they should rule their lives on their own. That is why, this period of time could be characterized by the collapse of various colonial empires and the appearance of a great number of new states which used to be the part of some greater countries. Additionally, the aftermath of the war made people reconsider their attitude towards the issue of power and look for new more efficient ways to govern. That is why, some states switched to the new pattern, hoping that it could help them to satisfy the new needs of people and guarantee stable and beneficial development.

Thus, having chosen democracy as the main direction of their development, various countries tried to achieve the goal using different strategies and remedies. Not all models were successful and some of them resulted in the collapse of the government or even civil wars. Under these conditions, the term democratic consolidation became very important. The given notion is used “to describe the challenge of making new democracies secure, of extending their life expectancy beyond the short term, of making them immune against the threat of authoritarian regression”¹.

The importance of the given term and process was proved by the fact that not all states that tried to adhere to the main principles of democracy managed to create the needed conditions and collapsed, returning to the authoritarian pattern. At the same time, the countries that continue movement in this very direction also might face some problems and challenges. With this in mind, it is vital to analyze the functioning of these very countries in order to understand the main peculiarities of their development.

Japan could be taken as one of the states that managed to achieve great success due to the shift of priorities and adherence to the main concepts of democracy. It should be said that the given country has very powerful traditions of absolute power. For centuries the Emperor had been the only ruler of the state and had unlimited power. However, WWII and Japans defeat and occupation triggered the great process of change. Japanese society realized the fact that the military state had no future in the modern world and accepted the new constitution. According to this very document the liberal democracy became the pattern according to which the state should evolve and continue its development. Moreover, the peace and beneficial development of all layers of Japanese society became the main priorities of the new government. Japan remained the Empire, however, its image had changed significantly.

It should be said that Japan managed to achieve great success in the development of democracy and the creation of modern, humane and tolerant society. Using the Shedlers concepts that describe the stages and concepts of democratic consolidation, it is possible to say that the Japanese society is at the high level of the development of a state and has great perspectives for its development².

There are no signs of anti-democratic behavior and all members of society are satisfied with the existing type of state structure. Moreover, elections, as the main tool of democracy, could be described as very clear and efficient. The government promotes the improvement of the given mechanism and introduces new tools that can make it more efficient and transparent. Nowadays, Japan is a constitutional monarchy that is ruled by the Emperor, however, the cabinet of ministers accepts the all-important decision and, that is why the power of the ruler is limited and there are perspectives for the development of democracy.

Thus, it is also vital to outline several problems that Japan still faces trying to develop democracy and exclude the possibility of the return towards the authoritarian state structure. First of all, one should keep in mind that Japan is the country with powerful traditions according to which hierarchy has always been an integral part of its society. That is why, even nowadays, there are the manifestations of this sort of relations when a social status of a person determines the attitude of society towards him/her and the way he/she is treated. Moreover, nowadays Japan is one of the most fast-growing countries with a powerful economy.

However, these goals were achieved by the hard work of the citizens of the state. The working conditions remain very complicated and the common Japanese live under constant stress. With this in mind, it is possible to make a conclusion that Japan could be taken as the state characterized by the great level of the development of democracy, however, there still some things to be done in order not to stop these processes and promote the further evolution of the country.

Continuing cogitations about the issue of democratic consolidation, it is vital to mention South Korea as another state that chose the new vector of its development and tried to create a democratic society. There are several important factors that should be mentioned while speaking about the state of democracy in the given country and perspectives for its development. First of all, one should remember the fact that South Korea appeared due to the civil war unleashed by the USA and the USSR on the territory of the once unified state. South and North Koreas chose various vectors of their development.

South Korea became the young democratic state supported by the Western world. That is why, it had the task to create the efficient mechanism of the functioning of democracy in accordance with the European pattern. The success of this task became one of the most important conditions of the further existence of the given state. However, till 1998 the country preserved the authoritarian form of government and only at the end of the 20th century, it became a democratic state.

Nowadays, the state has all the peculiarities of the developed democracy. It could be characterized by the complicated government which is elected by people. The president is the head of the state and the fact that this post is occupied by a woman could also be taken as the evidence of the democratic character of the given state. Analyzing the given situation, it is also vital to say that South Korea is recognized by the Western world and acts as its very important partner.

However, at the same time, it is impossible not to admit some threatening tendencies peculiar to the given state and which could neutralize all previous achievements. Thus, the liberty of speech and freedom of the press could be taken as the main aspects of the developing democratic state³. However, the law of South Korea forbids speculations on North Korea. Various means of media should not post or publish materials that describe some positive aspects o the functioning of this very state. Moreover, a person is not able to communicate with the citizens of North Korea without special permission given by the government. These facts prove the fact that there are still many problems connected with the civil liberties in the Republic of Korea, which means that democratic consolidation should be continued.

Finally, analyzing the development of democratic regimes in the given region, it is also vital to give attention to the situation in Taiwan or the Republic of China. The given state has an unusual history, and nowadays not every country accepts the existence of the Republic. Thus, the given fact does not limit the evolution of the region and nowadays Taiwan is one of the most fast-growing economies of the world. It should also be said that till the 1970s the country adhered to the authoritarian form of governance and the ruler had great power in the state. However, after the death of Chiang Kai-shek, a great number of various processes that introduced many shifts in the social and political life of the state started. Nowadays, Taiwan is one of the developing democracies.

Speaking about the progress achieved by the given state, it is vital to mention several facts. First of all, nowadays human rights are respected in the country and there are conditions for the development of various personal and professional skills of a person. Secondly, citizens of the state are really proud of their political system which results in the stability and development of the whole country. The President and the members of the government are chosen by people with the help of elections which are organized on a regular basis.

Nevertheless, being organized according to the western pattern, the given political system functions efficiently and promotes the economic and social development of the state. Finally, it helps to establish a complicated situation connected with the independence of the state and its relations with China.

Besides, there is still much to be done and there are some problems and challenges which the process of the development of democracy in Taiwan faces. Analyzing the sphere of law and punishments it should be said that the penalties are very severe in Taiwan. According to the laws of the country, people might suffer from very high fees of even imprisonment in case of some insignificant offenses. Moreover, the death penalty is not prohibited there and there is the possibility to use it. Cogitating about the process of democratization in Taiwan, it is also vital to mention the fact that the President still has much power and can use it for various purposes. The government limits this power, thus, there is still some possibility of power abuse.

With this in mind, it is possible to make a certain conclusion. It becomes obvious that the end of the 20th century could be characterized by the appearance of new democratic states that tried to align their functioning in accordance with the main concepts of traditional democracy. Japan, Taiwan and South Korea could be taken as this very sort of country. They have the authoritarian past and, that is why, the shift of priorities might face some real obstacles. Nevertheless, it is possible to say that the states manage to continue their development in terms of democracy and promote the improvement of their image. However, some problems still remain and some efficient steps are needed to find a good solution to them for these countries to be able to promote the development of democracy in the region and dominance of democracy.

Bibliography

Schedler, Andreas. “What is Democratic Consolidation?.” Journal of Democracy 9, no. 2 (1998): 91-107.

Schedler, Andreas. “Measuring Democratic Consolidation.” Studies in Comparative International Development 36, no. 1(2001): 66-92.

Slater, Dan. “Democratic Careening.” World Politics 65, no, 4 (2013): 729-763.

Footnotes

Andreas Shcedler, “What is Democratic Consolidation?,” Journal of Democracy 9, no. 2 (1998): 97.
Andreas Schedler, “Measuring Democratic Consolidation,” Studies in Comparative International Development 36, no. 1(2001):68.
Dan Slater, “Democratic Careening,” World Politics 65, no, 4 (2013): 743.

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Democratic Consolidation in Asia

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