Tentative conclusions on democracy & governance
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Sudanese liberalism
Omar al-Bashir’s government has whipped a 16-year old Christian girl 50 times for wearing a skirt that stopped at her knees.
Make of it what you will, but I am reminded of the effort to hold elections in Sudan. This juxtaposition recalls that liberal democratic institutions are entirely compatible with theocratic tyranny over the human spirit. Just ask Rebecca Nurse and Hester Prynne. Like we did 300 years ago, Sudan has a very long way to go.
2 responses to to “Sudanese liberalism”
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Well, in theory I agree, but I’m not sure we can say yet that Sudan actually has liberal democratic institutions.
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Tom Round March 8th, 2010 at 05:44
“Democratic”, yes, but “liberal”? Even if we define “democracy” minimally – “laws are made by (persons chosen by) a majority of the adult citizens” – adding “liberal” is a considerable qualifier, since it implies that laws can only be made to prevent some kind of demonstrable harm to living creatures. Doesn’t need to be rigorous libertarianism in Rand’s sense or even Mill’s – the majority in a “liberal” democracy can make seatbelts compulsory – but it does exclude enacting harsh penalties for harmless or minor actions, like skirt length.
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