The Values Of Democracy In Zakaria's The Future Of Freedom

Summary:

In his book “The Future of Freedom”, Zakaria analyzes the concept of democracy from a critical perspective, arguing that while democracy is certainly desirable in view of its numerous advantages and benefits, too much of it may end up harming nations, governments and even individuals.

The Democratic Age

In the Introduction he points out that democratization has affected a variety of sectors throughout history, thus disrupting pre-existing hierarchies and giving individuals an unprecedented amount of economic, cultural, political and technological power, among other things. The democratization process has contributed to shaping the modern world, to the extent that nowadays, most nations across the world revolve around democratic principles and values. However, the author maintains that in order to gain a better understand of the impact that

The approval and implementation of the first constitution in 1638 represents an excellent example of the process that led to the formation of modern nations which rely on precise standards of behavior and fundamental, non-negotiable principles.

However, in spite of the numerous benefits brought about by the introduction of liberal constitutionalism across the Western world, Zakaria argues that America’s civil society is being damaged by its very democratic nature, to the extent that he calls for a review of the democratic principles around which modern America was shaped in order to restore its previous balance between liberty and democracy. For example, the author observes that the reason why the American people no longer respect the U.S. Congress is because it has become too democratic and, therefore, dysfunctional.

A Brief History of Human