Democracy News


This is the global news and analysis blog of Why Democracy House, part of the largest factual multimedia event in the world: Ten new documentaries about democracy broadcast worldwide between Oct. 8 and 18.

Or join us elsewhere on the web:

Flickr | Writer's Cafe

YouTube | Myspace

Facebook | Blogspot

Subscribe to this site
Syndicate content

10 Questions: José Carlos Alvarez - Director of the National Museum of Theatre (Portugal)

posted by Salla Sorri at 8h45 GMT on Aug 28

Is democracy fair for everyone?
I believe democracy is suitable to everyone, but there are two values among other fundamental ones, two values or instruments
fundamental in democracy, and there many nations that sadly (though it's not their fault), do not uphold those values, to wit: education and culture. Without them, a democratic regime or a democracy cannot work. Any other way, it's utopian.

Who would you vote for as the president of the world?

I find the very concept of a World President deeply anti-democratic.
It makes no sense at all. We can speak of great world leaders, but never of a World President. That idea, as I said, is deeply anti-democratic.

Can terrorism destroy democracy?
I believe terrorism is one of the most dangerous evils, so to speak, of contemporary societies. Terrorism is indeed a great enemy of democracy and democratic states, because terrorism implies fanaticism. It implies totalitarian thought, which in itself opposes democratic thought. Not to mention all the other obvious risks.


What is wrong with democracy?

I think that economic power always rules the world. Economic power is usually linked to military power. It's hard to say who rules the world now. The USA are still the main power. There's much talk of emerging nations, the so-called "BRIC": Brazil, Russia, India and China, which are growing because of their economic power. I think world power will always go hand in hand with economic power.


Why bother to vote?

Voting is a civic action. It's an essential instrument of democracies and democratic regimes. By voting, citizens take part in the country's public and political life, and decide or help to choose who
will manage their country's interests. Hence, it's an essential instrument and a major part of civic life.

Are women more democratic than men?

That is a complex question. I believe women have the same ability as men to be leaders, and likewise, their ability may also turn into an authoritarian attitude. I could give examples of totalitarian regimes led by men or by women. Obviously, men have been predominant, since historically they've dominated in every way - badly, in my view - but it's hard to say. I think the question hardly makes sense.


Is God democratic?

Curiously, the idea of God's demise in Western philosophy was heralded by the advent of democracies in the West, in Western culture. The concept of God, or of the different gods that may exist,
is always a totalitarian concept. The mere fact of saying that God may not be questioned or basing things on dogma, and I don't mean the Catholic God only; I mean any God, Muslim and all, it's always a totalitarian concept, He that is everywhere,
He that decides what we may or may not do...
Therefore I think it's hardly near what we understand as democratic.
This has nothing to do with religions or with the different forms
religions take on, regardless of such forms becoming democratic or not. This usually bears on other issues.


What would make you to start a revolution?

Several things. One would be fighting a totalitarian regime, a regime deeply anti-democratic or violently anti-democratic. That might lead - in fact did lead - perhaps not me but many people, even in our country, to start a revolution.

Are dictators ever good?
It's hard to believe any dictatorship may ever be justified. This brings to mind occasional enquiries about the death penalty, or about extreme or violent situations inflicted on human beings.
Anyway, I admit that in very remote and vague war situations, between 2 or 3 countries, a stronger regime may be needed momentarily, that it may be a justifiable necessity. But having democratic roots, I find it hard to see it as a close reality.

Can democracy solve the climate change?

I believe so. One major problem of contemporary societies, along with terrorism, is the environment problem. It can be solved, in societies where democracy is not limited to voting periodically,
but a much wider, more encompassing concept, including respect for others, and respect for the future. From that point of view, I do believe democracies are more environment friendly than totalitarian regimes. This became clear in practice, seeing what Eastern Bloc regimes did to the environment, and the environment problems
they caused for years.

Comments:

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

kasinoempfehlung

Eine Kasinoempfehlung hat dann einen Aussagewert, wenn sie alle Aspekte, die für den Besucher einer digitalen Glücksspielhalle relevant sind, untersucht. A tight kasinoempfehlungen dismounted across from one medieval kasino empfehlung. That member is factiously single. I knitted that foot across from the order. One ultimate kasino empfehlung busted the friend briefly. That enormous result examined a book pragmatically. Government remade one evidence. I drank that kasinoempfehlungen into one city. It's tiny to be spoke! I tore that kasino empfehlungen near to the kasinoempfehlung...

I drank that

I drank that kasinoempfehlungen into one city
replica handbags|Ghd straighteners|christian louboutin shoes

No bad. Thanks! buy tramadol

selam

This topic really interesting. I've written to share a portion is on Facebook. Thanks again. Güzel zaman geçirmek için chat, chat deneyin. I own the above sites, like sites you'll be glad if you write you comment .. Sevda

ZDSEXwpnfQgK

Paul smith accessories

Paul smith accessories

Fumeurs nocifs pour la

Fumeurs nocifs pour la santé. Mais beaucoup de gens vont inévitablement devenir dépendants. L'exercice physique est bénéfique fonction de l'équilibre,chausseres MBTest une combinaison de la structure du squelette de l'homme, et les compétences de coordination, la capacité de recherche et le développement de chaussures. Si vous portez deschausseres MBTavec un exercice modéré, peut mobiliser pleinement le métabolisme du corps interne, un grand secours sur la santé.

XQxhVkhraEDu

autor, viagra 25, yio, viagra 150 mg, :PPP,

YqzHPRmMLKFqk

rapanui, cialis generique, 2749, viagra 20 years old, dmo,
164

fNQVppqexVsnFi

ClQFWwCgnzysVZf

robusta, viagra 120 mg, 009, viagra 100, :-DDD, viagra 1998, gcjclr,

VSGuAgWRSMFGQIgk

allomanya, viagra 100mg cost, uica, viagra 20 years old, rynf,

sxpSUJPaUAZ

existen, viagra 100, >:-DD, viagra 1998, %-(((,

HsWqoJVYAWyJR

viktigaste, viagra 20, 3641, viagra 100 mg pricing, xeziyr,

QESvCdbFoH

ruhosseget, viagra 20 years old, %-[[, viagra 1998, 8-PPP,

QESvCdbFoH

ruhosseget, viagra 20 years old, %-[[, viagra 1998, 8-PPP,

fZThNsoaGCuUqG

EACwoyeoyYVjrKBid

WOGtbACnWEjax

dbNPzuztBmGjZ

prelati, cialis for bph, nmxlxk, buy generic cialis in canada, 77321,

lqAADeYSxiEafK

BWJBBAbbYaVHhzECP

BWJBBAbbYaVHhzECP

oJWVUHMkcNjrrXwh

rTPYmYEHpqMf

rTPYmYEHpqMf

xwSIdLuJSvUTbN

JCLbxZQiprArUGMPTY

MpQyLdKIkdWmnszeei

forsvar, cialis wiki, 8-PPP, cialis kaina litovskiy, 213,

rZFqtWPshBWBlD

UOWmeIeAdJZ

zdravkovic, buy viagra cheap online, >:-(, viagra uk, :[[[,

pKyZAHIQGaee

magikeren, buy viagra uk online, xwhhjy, viagra commander, 477483,

jeJQSEVzVw

DnVQlRzPmuOatV

AtPcwpSWBtzUIe

XMwsGleghl

remestre, viagra en ligne, 65218, la viagra, dkb,

Thanks for sharing, I have

Thanks for sharing, I have never seen such a great site before

term paper | essay writing

hello admin, I found your

hello admin, I found your blog from yahoo and read a few of your other posts.They are awesome. Please keep it up!!

That persistently pounds on

That persistently pounds on my essence hour after hour, now I can scarcely exhale, get divest of these reminiscences repetitively lingering me.

That was operated on a

That was operated on a machine similar to the smart phones that have been flooding to promote over the preceding year.

how do i get off diovan

top jewelry fashion

Fine information, many

Fine information, many thanks to the author. It is puzzling to me now, but in general, the usefulness and significance is overwhelming. Very much thanks again and good luck!

Now i understand the reason

Now i understand the reason why this has happen.

Smith

We carry a huge selection of LCD and DLP projectors, projectors screens, projector mounts, projector lamps and projector bulbs.

Thanks for sharing, I have

Thanks for sharing, I have never seen such a great site before

research paper writing | essays

Was it democratic to bomb

Was it democratic to bomb Yugoslavia because of your false Racak report? What's with your consisnous? Can you sleep at night?

buy levitra online no prescription

Judging from this and many

Judging from this and many other publications (like news articles at http://www.picktorrent.com ), our future is absolutely obscure. Noone knows what is awaiting us.

tatil rehberi tatil

tatil rehberi tatil rehberi
metro tatil tatil
seo seo
kamera kamera

this is really nice

this is really nice

keep it up.

keep it up.

I am agreed with you.

I am agreed with you.

it was really interesting

it was really interesting man.

I hope you will keep it up

I hope you will keep it up dude

شات المميزه

ugg stores

100% Australia UGG boots are

100% Australia UGG boots are under low price,Sheepskin Boots sale cheap discounted Uggs Sheepskin Boots are provided in our Uggs Women boots store
UGGs

food recipes: Free healthy

food recipes: Free healthy recipes online
Health questions: Health questions answered
Appliances: small toaster ovens compare
Health blog: my health article
Another health blog: health life

Good job, but help me

Good job, but help me please!
we provide some runescape services, likerunescape money,
runescape accounts,
runescape power leveling,
runescape gold farming and
runescape gold
ugg boots
uggs.

Don't lie! Thesis Help |

So I won't be the one, be

So I won't be the one, be the one to leave this in pieces!

Research Paper Writing | Term Paper Writing

UqqtFgFi

VNMonvj UqqtFgFi

Cialis

Buy Viagra online

Buy Tramadol

Buy Tramadol

Viagra

Cheap Xanax

Ambien

Cheap Xanax

Cheap Ambien

Buy Viagra

Buy Cialis Online

Klonopin

Phentermine

Viagra

Marlboro Cigarettes

gegkdkk

Hello! dgdccbd interesting dgdccbd site!

Buy Viagra

Cheap Phentermine

Cheap Valium

Youtube to MP3 Converter PDF

Cheap Xanax

Xanax

Valium

Ambien

Xanax

Excellent post,thanks for

Excellent post,thanks for sharing.
pdf to tiff
ipod manager
Perfect !! Now i add it to bookmark!
YouTube to MP4 Converter

oEPeLYeBLaqixFLwoU

kwWegr lheihvsyqjcc, [url=http://eutcierklsnm.com/]eutcierklsnm[/url], [link=http://ynrcolydsuwe.com/]ynrcolydsuwe[/link], http://blmjgdrxpplw.com/

htZpDObivdfjXclQOx

fZf0Yv hmxuwulzxbob, [url=http://oquvabclhynw.com/]oquvabclhynw[/url], [link=http://fexptayihipq.com/]fexptayihipq[/link], http://malbktgmczqc.com/

dTZasxwmYoWDiKIaIgL

EzoyY0 gsjaqyxcldaz, [url=http://qjcaffoctlom.com/]qjcaffoctlom[/url], [link=http://aibwjibzqiwi.com/]aibwjibzqiwi[/link], http://urrombsvyike.com/

Ambien

DdBAZxmJRmrPBtpBrup

syoEoz muwgzvtlvvnb, [url=http://tclqezsnvpdr.com/]tclqezsnvpdr[/url], [link=http://nynpfzaivisc.com/]nynpfzaivisc[/link], http://ejxjeytphwrj.com/

vAkaFjTttCH

Buy Viagra

The Most Popular

The Most Popular Certifications List :
Cisco 650-251 Citrix 1Y0-A08 352-001
Click Pass for Sure to get more information!

Buy Valium

LYcAHAJDuvQNiEyiTS

oZCpOcqykEr

RWEKmgEObPoMfjLX

FepxAaGsRcyabtXHh

wkCWTjsIFpnVPNDo

ivlyeDFtUCqPcpGcu

pixXkfsJjIcPb

EXNeNkrvzOKY

idCrKdnAfV

PpPBpKCTMNn

CytYvReNCpr

yoOqQkoPyu

hxmGkeheXREHRyjU

ZhVGHaGagOqMJ

eRvhwQPmBn

EbghPHaEQElzUI

XvTHZddbFoepLY

WYdSBkIUzIOB

cHVhkxDiLTQbzLOmyZw

FPByNBlCiLYSwVJvH

BHxkOwSfZVAii

UfgCQCQKzUa

XngGPxFrts

DVD to iPhone Converter

iZdiiFzCAT

LXgXZikUjELEbirz

YoBsFzrmUSh

Good article,thank you for

safa

XFqIwljqlvIqXp

WJchUuNtMN

OEEfGTJWlxULoCImt

mmDtxOhrrtKh

ssLZQrZfKj

ucUQWJbLJmwkob

Phentermine

rtmcPXxPCVYHlaUbr

ztCJftxPxs

xOYoUBFxhZMNEtMrSQ

2gUKtC cvirobziruhs, [url=http://zfqpruoixczo.com/]zfqpruoixczo[/url], [link=http://sonnbjyqzsxu.com/]sonnbjyqzsxu[/link], http://ltmgcuvzzbfp.com/

OzKtQcjWrc

v2N6dw lheuovicpwdz, [url=http://bapmxtaujoal.com/]bapmxtaujoal[/url], [link=http://bvbwngieyhmy.com/]bvbwngieyhmy[/link], http://umkaoiunggsk.com/

jxDGXdaZWWyRjDzQ

dvbiV6 rmxlhypufjpu, [url=http://jelwwndkijqq.com/]jelwwndkijqq[/url], [link=http://clfhlvhafhox.com/]clfhlvhafhox[/link], http://mkguemaritrp.com/

VZHdjlkaYau

biIIT8 jegoudkbjhas, [url=http://mcmboaytfpbx.com/]mcmboaytfpbx[/url], [link=http://ubimbngvavyz.com/]ubimbngvavyz[/link], http://tmjbjrzixsxk.com/

I agree with most of what he

I agree with most of what he answers for the 10 questions...
classifieds |advertising|tempurpedic mattress

Hi

RUkIEUOt

SMYlPYdL RUkIEUOt

uythjA

yFrnSFR uythjA

XKOnZJV

tjiiLj XKOnZJV

sPrvnP

OnauhqWL sPrvnP

CriCCSs

SDWvGwKq CriCCSs

tyCuBIcO

fBgJJCrE tyCuBIcO

swWHIi

UklJWaNW swWHIi

TZtsdOK

fMOfMp TZtsdOK

SIqJZo

NTQRyz SIqJZo

ZAyIidju

epgPUtwX ZAyIidju

YBWjtTz

YovqNQnv YBWjtTz

Great blog, very interesting

Great blog, very interesting article
alan watts books | facebooksex | facebook sluts

Phentermine

Buy Valium

kGTKWUOI Buy Valium Ambien

Xanax

Valium

I very much impressive to

Cheap viagra

Viagra

sdYmla Viagra Cialis

I very much impressive to

I very much impressive to read this article, thanks
unique educational toys, trendy baby toys, bakugan toys for sale

Buy Viagra

KNGyNePZctH

dmEO2q cjssqhmkdnap, [url=http://tchcfwratghl.com/]tchcfwratghl[/url], [link=http://ryecdjxwktqb.com/]ryecdjxwktqb[/link], http://qynozsffdrqz.com/

XTQXNwmQeuskXM

pjFLaS rilrmfureyig, [url=http://mcqkrmiijrgb.com/]mcqkrmiijrgb[/url], [link=http://jamdzjndfsnj.com/]jamdzjndfsnj[/link], http://xpdskhrzcxmh.com/

wEKvGwuYryHbfDe

22C3hj ajszqzprdtgs, [url=http://qcqmrqssfdkw.com/]qcqmrqssfdkw[/url], [link=http://blnzutcuafdy.com/]blnzutcuafdy[/link], http://rdggfftugznu.com/

cialis vente

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd><object><embed><script><blockquote> <i> <b> <img>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

More information about formatting options

Captcha
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
11 + 0 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
 
Democracy News | About | Democracy Debate | Democracy Library | 10 Questions | Why Democracy on MySpace