POL112H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Ali Khamenei, Liberal Democracy, Logical Consequence
28 May 2015
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1. freedom and democracy are universal values and rights (for everybody) All humans are created equal and are entitled to certain unalienable rights. Huntington warns, imperialism is the necessary logical consequence of universalism . Neoconservative goal of spreading democracy abroad encouraged the 2003 iraq war. 2. freedom and democracy are western concepts, not universal (culture specific) Culture limits the extent of freedom of democracy. Non-western dictators make this argument to avoid criticism. Individualism and suspicion of authority are needed for successful democracy. Example: democracy has been slow to spread to the arab world. More than one party that is competing to get control of the government. People should be able to cast their vote for free. Competition should be fair, the opposition can appeal to the media and criticize the current. If anyone in power commits a crime, they are held to the law.
