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.
There is the rub, for the word democracy, at present on all lips, is nowhere defined. We therefore have few chances to see our way through it without beginning by filling this gap. Claiming as some do that democracy is impossible to define can only leave one skeptical, since they are the first to use the word. They implicitly refer to a political ideal that has every chance to exist, for, if we admit the existence of the rights of man, it is difficult to see how they could not morph into the rights of the citizen. A democratic regime is then defined by principles calling for institutions to implement.
If the rules of the political game stem from the nature of things, they cannot be invented. Like the laws of physics, they are deduced from the observation of reality with the help of reason. They will henceforth be laid down in the preamble of a constitution. The role of the state is thus defined and those in power are bound to respect it. They cannot avail themselves of a supposed “popular will” to allege the existence of a superior law. “Giving a voice to the people” to legitimize any action whatsoever is a misconception of democracy, which is conducive to the populist trend that can be observed these days; It is high time to consider that the principles of democracy, through their universal scope, are an independent reality and are now part of the sphere of knowledge.
To fully place them in the spotlight, it was difficult not to found an Institut pour la Démocratie. Its first task was to define the concept of democracy and identify the institutions that abide by it. It was necessary to start from the studies already carried out by thinkers. Aristotle in Antiquity had already paved the way by analyzing some 170 constitutions of his time. It was necessary, however, to wait till the history of mankind had been explored and well documented for a French academic to be able to sum up the whole issue. There only remained a connection to establish between Jean Baechler’s monumental work and the political practices observed, in other words to pull on Ariadne’s thread logically leading to a general theory of democracy.
We already knew how to measure the degree of liberty in a country and the latter’s performance in terms of democracy. We now have at our disposal the complete tool-box of the instruments apt to implement it. A country such as France now knows what remains ro be done for it to give itself better institutions. The benefits are even greater. Civics become possible on a wide scale. A society functions better indeed when its citizens know the rules of its functioning, all the more so if their complexity can blur one’s bearings. But this is not all: since the desirable content of a constitution became known, doctors in democracy have been able to carry out a democratic audit of any supposedly democratic country. Countries in crisis will be able to make political progress. With the help of doctors in democracy, elected officials will be better equipped tomorrow to secure an acceptation of the reforms that are necessary and efficient, and not only on the institutional level. Their competence and capacity of innovation will also be useful to the countries that are candidates to a political union. The mechanism triggered by the federal principle will, if we know how to accompany it, pave the way for a geopolitical building set for use on a larger scale and the emergence, when time comes, of a global diplomacy.
Proud of its first realizations, Institut pour la Démocratie brings elements of reflection on the new challenges confronting us. Democracy has not revealed its full potential yet. If people manage to use the laws of politics properly, the rules of democracy will appear tomorrow as the jewel in the crown of the immaterial riches of mankind.
G.L.