The state of democracy in the world today

Despite the problems with democracy in the West, the version of democracy that exists at least allows the people some degree of choice. There are many countries in the world where the right of the people to choose their leaders is substantially curtailed or non-existent.

The Middle East

The region most notorious for its lack of democratic structures is the Middle East. In this region, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Brunei are all hereditary dictatorships, and a non-hereditary dictatorship exists in Syria. There is a limited form of democracy in Iran and Egypt, and a single party dominates politics in Yemen.

Supposedly democratic countries such as the US are active in their support of dictatorships in this region, in order to ensure the continued stability in the supply and price of oil. If democracy flourished in states such as Saudi Arabia, there is every chance that the people would seek to maximise the revenue from oil by limiting the amount supplied on the market. The lesser the supply, the greater the cost. As the biggest consumer of oil in the world, the US is desperate to prevent this from happening, and so maintains its support for dictators who will comply with the wishes of the US and continue to supply oil in a sufficiently steady stream.

Central Asia

Another area notorious for the presence of outright dictatorships is central Asia. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are all dictatorships. Other countries in central Asia such as Armenia and Azerbaijan are dominated by single parties, which has obvious implications for the idea of choice inherent in the principle of democracy.

The US has been a keen supporter of the dictatorships that exist in central Asia, despite its claim to be the champion of global democracy. Control of central Asian oil and gas is perceived as a vital interest by the US administration, underlined by the construction of oil and gas pipelines from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and ultimately to the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf. The reason for the US insistence on constructing pipelines from central Asia is because the present pipelines run over Russian soil, out of US control. By courting the central Asian dictatorships, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the US has managed to access more oil and ensure its effective and cheap supply.

The rest of Asia

Other long-standing and major dictatorships operate in China, Burma, North Korea, Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam. Pakistan has a poor history of democracy and is currently ruled by a dictator, yet remains a key ally of the West. Bhutan is a hereditary dictatorship, and the monarchy wields great power in Nepal. Single parties have historically wielded power in Singapore and Malaysia, and Mongolia is only just emerging from a long history of dictatorial control. The tiny islands of the Maldives have been ruled by the autocratic dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom since 1978.

Africa

The continent of Africa is riddled with dictatorships. Zimbabwe, Sudan, Eritrea, Congo, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Comoros are all governed by dictators. Hereditary dictators rule Morocco, Swaziland and Tonga. Somalia has been so ruined by war that there is no central government of any description, whether democratic or dictatorial.

Other countries in Africa are dominated by single powerful parties. These countries include Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda, Senegal, Gambia, Chad, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar and Mauritania. In North Africa there are single-party states such as Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia. Other nations are making some form of transition towards democracy, although the actual state of democracy may be far from perfect- these countries include Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, Angola, Burundi, Guinea-Bissau, Niger and Western Sahara.

The rest of the world

After years of US-led repression, Central America is finally moving towards democracy. However, problems remain in countries such as Guatemala, where the transition to democracy is very much incomplete. Haiti, in the Caribbean, is also only moving slowly towards democracy, and in the same region a single dictator has controlled Cuba for over forty years.