The Contrasting Development of Democratic and Authoritarian States

Two states, developing as either a democratic or authoritarian regime, could be expected to undergo different paths over the course of fifty years. While this opportunity of observational research is unlikely to occur, it presents itself to analysis implementing secured theories regarding the tendencies of both forms of government. A democratic regime, defined by popular sovereignty and political equality, deeply contrasts the inequality and singular rule synonymous with authoritarianism. The differences in the two states would be most notable in regard to tendencies regarding international relations, economic development, as well as the level of internal stability resulting from the decisions made by political leader. The dissimilarities stem from policies created by officials, which have various effects depending on their focus on the general benefit of the citizens or the preservation of the current leader’s power.

The differences between an authoritarian regime and a democracy would be most visible in the progress of international relations. A democracy would be much more likely to have developed ties with other states, usually founded on the principle of economic interdependence, as well as international treaties with the goal of transnational cooperation. These factors, working conjointly with the political freedom of citizens, provide more stable, pacifistic tendencies regarding international relations (Colomer 128). While an autocracy may be more capable of propelling a country into conflict, adopting aggressive affinities, a democracy has restrictions in place to prevent such incongruity in the context of the international community. The peaceful development of a democracy results from the diminished individual discret...

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...preventing political upheaval. Some authoritarian regimes, however, have reached high levels of economic prosperity, most notably Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Such nations appear to be far superior to newly democratic nations because of the problems faced by democratizing nations. While the aforementioned benefits of democracy tend to surpass those of established dictatorships, nations in the process of democratizing tend to be more prone to conflict than any other state, specifically when the transition is rapid with elections taking place before regime change. This tendency is relative to the development of democracies; however, it does not apply to the two countries, assuming that they established successful regimes initially. The success of democracy, if instituted properly, is characterized primarily by the democratic peace and provision of goods.