“Regime is made up of people, so I do put faces to regimes and governments, so I feel that all human beings have the right to be given the benefit of the doubt, and they also have to be given the right to try to redeem themselves if they so wish.”- Aung San Suu Kyi;
It seems so hard to understand what living in an autocracy could feel like, especially in the 21st Century. It seems impossible to imagine the government managing what you can say, and what you can read both in print and on the internet. Unfortunately in a new report published by the independent watchdog Freedom House democracy and democratic ideals such as checks and balances, independent courts designed to protect the constitution, and rule of law in the government, are fast being replaced in many parts of the world. In Eastern Europe for example, democratic institutions are being replaced by strong-man type oligarchies. This can be attributed to a number of factors such as pushback from the regulations coming from the European Union and continuing fears over Russian expansion into the region.
On the other end of the world, the small south East Asian country of Myanmar also known as Burma continues to try and strengthen its fledgling democracy. In 2015 after years of brutal repression from the government Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition in Burma, won in a landslide in the first free elections in decades. Now Kyi has the goal of ending the longest running civil war in history as there are currently 15 different armed groups fighting in that country.
So yes, the problems are numerous but the main question is this: what do we do about them? In truth there are neither easy nor simple answers. One option open to the United States is reassuring diplomatic gestures to those nations slowly starting backwards toward dictatorship. For such a strategy to work in Eastern Europe, it would involve systematically reforming the structure of the European Union to provide economic incentives for nations to remain democratic. Understand that in order to become a member of the EU, it must pass certain criteria in the areas of democratic governance and human rights.
However, in the eyes of the new governments in Eastern Europe there isn’t any reason to remain in the EU, and thus, no reason to follow all of those old, antiquated rules about inalienable rights anyway. Also, the US should continue to reassure allies in the region that we will not allow Russia to intervene in their nations as Russian President Vladimir Putin has all but annexed the Crimea region of Ukraine.
In south east Asia, the United States has the right idea of taking a tougher stance on the two biggest bullies in the region: China and North Korea. The best thing the US can do is continue our efforts to support democracies like Myanmar through economic engagement and bilateral signs of good will such as joint military exercises.
While the fight for democracy abroad may not seem worth it, the promise of a lasting democratic peace is worth it. As Winston Churchill once said “Freedom is not a matter of choice, it is a destined path, an undying yearning for the peace of one's soul until attainment.”
