Marina Ottaway. "Is Democracy the Answer?" Chapter 33 of Leashing the Dogs of War.
Democracy has been touted as a panacea and also as the only valid form of governance since the end of the Cold War. The power vested in the industrialized economies has proffered enormous political clout since the Cold War began. That power has been used to help mend fractured nation-states: those emerging from a Civil War or an authoritarian regime. The international community, which is comprised of top political power brokers, systematically imposes democracy on weak or unstable nations without giving credence to any other form of government.
Belief in democracy can therefore take on an almost sinister form. Coerced democracies have a poor track record of survival, though. Democratic forms of government, defined by their public elections, take root best in nation-states with strong and well-defined national identities and not those outlined by arbitrary political borders. Artificial nation-states that are created by international power brokers do not take into account the cultural, ethic, linguistic, and regional divisions within a territory let alone the preferred form of self-governance.
The specific type of democratic government the international community presumes is best for the world is a majoritarian one. Countries recently emerging from civil war are unlikely to coalesce along lines of national identity and therefore unable to ascribe to a majoritarian democracy. Peace brokers and mediators must be more flexible and open in their approach toward conflict resolution. By focusing on the creation of social and political institutions that can help foster cohesiveness within a region, foreign relations specialists will have a far easier time of negotiating a lasting and meaningful peace. Minority groups must be included in all parts of the process, and ethnic and religious issues must be taken into account. Democracy is best achieved organically. Belief in the efficacy of democracy is not unfounded. However, the imposition of a democratic form of government is an ineffectual means of resolving conflicts.
