What IS democracy exactly?

I've been mulling over the election in Iraq and I have been struck by a particular set of observations about it. The chief Shia cleric, Ayatollah Al Sistani, told people that voting and, in particular, voting for a slate consistent with the beliefs of Shiite Muslims was a religious duty. This in a culture where religious dictums have powerful force, even in secular and civic settings.

It reminded me of what my Dad used to say in the old days of the Cold War about the Russians. The Soviet Union always proclaimed its republics as being democratic. And they did indeed have elections and votes. However, the ballot was limited to party candidates, and the people all knew that 'not voting' or taking some other action than checking off the slate risked serious punishment. Dad's point was that going through the motions of an election wasn't really democracy.

So back to Iraq. If the majority of people who went to the polls did so as a religious duty ordered by their spiritual mentor and voted for one of the Shiite slates, is that democracy? I think the question needs at least to be considered as we watch what happens and gauge our next step. Certainly, the election isn't a parallel to our elections.

And while we're on the subject? Our major ally in the Arab world, Saudi Arabia, just had its first election in years. It was a "municipal" election in Riyadh, the Capital. For a small number of seats which would be 'advisory' because the monarchy appoints the rest. And, of course, only adult men could vote. Women in SA not only can't vote, they can't even drive! The last report I heard, only a small number of the eligible men had registered to vote out of a potential electorate of millions. The best news was that there were many candidates competing for the available slots and fierce campaigning was taking place. Even if by a minority, this was remarkable in Saudi history. The Saud family don't take any risks that things might 'get out of hand'.

So. What is democracy? And who is it REALLY important to? Not so easy to tell. And just looking at the surface of things could get us in deep trouble.

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