The Importance of External Influences in Building a Democracy

The Importance of External Influences in Building a Democracy

In Democracy in the Third World, Robert Pinkney analyzed circumstances

that have been important in the past for building a democracy for

current democratic regimes. Pinkney studies seven comparatives and

their theories for the cause and effect of democracy and identifies

their pros and cons. The most important of these conditions stands in

the external influences and foreign participation in building the

state as a democracy of a non-democratic country.

In his “Conditions Conducive to Democracy” chart Pinkney introduces

the condition of external influences being one of these conditions

that to a democracy. He defines it as when foreign governments,

institutions or individuals supply ideas, offer inducements or apply

sanctions. Pinkney states that the sole problem with the idea is that

the influence can not be direct but indirect because for democracy to

continue it must not be imposed. There are specific country case

studies that contradicts the problem that Pinkney states.

Pinkney also acknowledges six other conditions conducive to democracy:

economic development, political attitudes and behaviour, inter-elite

relations, social structure and interaction between social groups,

political institutions and sequences in development. Each of these

conditions are not as relevant to the institutionalization of

democracy as external influences. Economic development is only

relevant in the Western democracies, India is an established democracy

and the GNP per capita is $390, while the GNP per capita in France is

$26,052 and China, a communist state, has a higher GNP per capita ...

... middle of paper ...

... their voices

heard against NAFTA.

Robert Pinkney states that the problem with this arguments is that the

external influence must be indirect and not be imposed. Here there are

two examples where democracy has been imposed and the influence is

direct from the democracy to the non-democracy. Germany has had four

peaceful electoral regime changes in the past fifty years and the

democratic notion is never questioned anymore. The complete occupation

and the slow adaptation of a democratic political framework ensures a

democratic growth within the state and people.

Works Consulted

Kesselman, Mark. Joel Krieger and William Joseph. Introduction to

Comparative

Politics, 2 ed. Houghton MIfflin Company: Boston, MA. 2000.

Pinkney, Robert. Democracy in the Third World. Lynne Rienner

Publishers: Boulder, CO.