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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 July 2000 Issue No. 489 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 July 2000 Issue No. 489
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region Focus International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Poles apart
By Surender Bhutani
It is no small wonder that the Polish capital Warsaw was selected as the venue for the first-ever international conference devoted to the democratic system. Of the 133 nations invited to join by the conference's organisers, representatives from 107 of them met on 26-27 June, ostensibly to pledge their commitment to promote and strengthen democracy across the globe.
In a sense, the meeting is a tribute to Poland's successful democratic experience; the country stands today as a shining example of the democratic model in a world where many parts are still under the authoritarian system. This August will mark 20 years since the creation of Poland's independent trade union, Solidarity, a social and political movement that played an important role not only in overthrowing communism in Poland, but also, indirectly, throughout central and eastern Europe, including the Soviet Union.
Today, if eastern Europe is breathing the fresh air of democracy, then part of the credit also goes to Polish-born Pope John Paul II, who relentlessly and shrewdly worked for a democratic system in his native land. Reflecting on the fall of communism, he memorably remarked, "The whole system was rotten. I just gave a nudge to it." Fact of the matter is, the pope systematically used the Church first to oppose communism, and then to pave the way for democracy.
In his book Clashes of Civilisation, political scientist Samuel Huntington wrote, "It seemed John Paul II mastered a special way of showing up in plenitude of his pontifical majesty in critical moments of the process of passing to democracy." He is also the first pope to clearly express his support for the democratic system in his writings, thus firmly integrating democratic principles in the corpus of Catholic social teaching.
A core group of seven countries -- Chile, the Czech Republic, India, Mali, Poland, South Korea and the United States -- took on the job of organising the conference, but it was undoubtedly at Washington's behest that the international gathering took place. More than 70 foreign ministers led their respective delegations and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan headed the United Nations team. Notably, Russia chose not to send its foreign minister, presumably due to strained relations with Poland's rightist government and the hostile postures it has adopted toward its big and powerful eastern neighbour.
One can understand why both China and Pakistan were not invited, but the exclusion of Iran is a bit of a mystery. Among the list of distinguished invitees, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia -- countries whose credentials as democratic states are doubtful -- strike a discordant note. It seems that the US is still unconvinced of Iran's sincerity in its rapprochement with the West even though Iran has made greater strides towards a more democratic political system than many of the invitees.
The Warsaw conference, entitled "Towards a Community of Democracies," seems both poignant and absurd at a time when a number of Third World countries are witnessing an upsurge in military coups and human rights violations. In the wake of Pakistan's military takeover last October, many African and Pacific islands are facing the onslaught of military regimes that threaten or ignore democratically elected governments.
The conference met with the intention of tackling this burning problem and ended with a final communiqué intended to send a concrete message of solidarity with the oppressed people. With the notable exception of France, the so-called Warsaw Declaration was signed by every nation present and vowed to support existing democracies and those nations seeking a democratic regime. But mere sermonising is not going to solve the problem; a formula must be developed to bring democracy back with the idealistic fervour it was ushered in with. Hitherto, the United Nations has failed to come up with such a solution. Probably, it is time to find another organisation that can.
The Warsaw conference was divided into four ministerial panels, set up to address the basic issues of fostering democracy. India, along with the US, Mali and Chile, were selected to chair the discussions, partly on the basis of merit and partly for regional and geographical considerations.
Meanwhile, Bronislaw Geremek was retained by President Alexander Kwasniewski as Poland's foreign minister, but the move was more to maintain a sense of continuity -- Geremek's party has withdrawn its support from the ruling rightist coalition. Geremek has been the principal brain behind this extraordinary organisation for the last six months, and the minority government was hard-pressed to find an appropriate replacement at such short notice.
In a interview with Al-Ahram Weekly, Geremek praised other examples of developed democracies, including India, which he called "a great model for us in our struggle to be a democratic polity." He acknowledged India as a "rock-solid supporter" in setting up the conference and lauded its "selfless and genuine support for the cause of democracy."
"We in Solidarity movement were always looking towards India in the past and we still look towards India now, as a guide, philosopher and friend," Geremek added.
In his address to the Indian parliament in March, US President Bill Clinton mentioned the importance of the Warsaw conference for building new and healthy structures for democracy. Whether his optimism proves reflective of a new world order, only time will tell. But one thing is certain: the conference was not a one-time event. The group plans to meet every two years, with India slated to convene the next conference in 2002.
