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Most democratic countries today are in crisis. There are different opinions about the explanation that can be given. Some consider that this is because of conflicts inherent to political life per se, others that the imperfections of the regimes in question will be ironed out with time. But those crises can also reveal structural vices difficult to mend with the means at hand. We may also suppose that the rules of democracy are badly respected for the simple reason that they are not known sufficiently. It is difficult to make a diagnosis without knowing how a democratic regime must function ideally, without a proper model serving as reference.
The Past
The nature of democracy
The concept of democracy can be defined in two different manners, either through logical reasoning or through the observation of experiments. The conclusions are the same in both cases: the voting system is an essential element of the constitution, good governance mostly depends on the decision-making process and modern democracies will no longer be able to do without a true Upper House.
A political survey of the globe
For lack of better means, the Institut pour la démocratie has financed itself by organising political theme-trips. Those trips all over the world, punctuated with exchanges with personalities, have proved to be sources of first-hand information. A major lesson can be drawn from them: the issues being the same all over, the solutions too are universal. Culture no longer really affects political laws.
The Present
Rehabilitating democracy
Making democracy a kind of civic religion — as the Americans did at the time of their Independence — made sense, even if the word democracy was not used yet. If not stratified by an aristocracy, a society needs an ethical frame based on principles. But two centuries were yet to elapse before its rationality, natural to mankind as a whole, was fully understood.
Endowing France with better institutions
The crisis of regime affecting France once more offers a unique opportunity to put an end to two centuries of misguided constitutional experiments. A progress had been made in 1958 with the adoption of the majority vote, which has become the keystone of the regime. The only thing left is to transform the try by establishing a true parliamentary regime. A Head of State will moreover watch over the democratic character of the regime.
The Future
Re-inventing Europe
More than sixty years after its foundations were laid, the European Union has remained at the crossroads. If the creation of the euro was a technical feat, Europe has not become a political entity yet. The time has come to change from an empirical approach of the European construction to a more reasoned one. The Europeans must henceforth equip themselves with a genuine constitution.
Hastening global pacification
The extension of the democratic model on the global scale should someday put an end to the wars among different states. We can already see the outlines of the desirable global order taking shape under our eyes. What would only be needed would be a limited number of cultural plates eventually rebuilding the diplomatic balance that once fostered the emergence of democracy in Europe.