Imagine you're given a magic wand and told to fix the
problems of the world. What would you do?
You begin with the United States of America because it
is still the most powerful and most influential country in the world. You
determine that fixing its system of governance – if you can – will go a long
way toward restoring stability to it; a development that will contribute a
great deal to the steadiness of other countries.
While delving into America 's political problems, you
discover that the culprit contributing the most to the degradation of that
system of governance is selfishness. The sad truth is that politicians think of
themselves first and foremost. Below that, they place the interest of their
party. Below it there is the interest of the electors who are likely to vote
for them next time. Below that, comes the interest of the country and below it
the world.
So you decide you must reduce the influence that selfishness
has on the unfolding of the political process. But how to do that? Well, the
first thing that strikes you is that the two-term limit for the Chief Executive
plays a big role in how the president sets up his agenda – which may not always
be the best way to govern a nation.
Come to think of it, the American system is derived from the
British system where there are no term limits for the monarch that stays in
place for life, however reduced the powers of the throne may be. There are no
limits for the prime minister either who remains in place till he or she
decides to call an election, or till the Lower Chamber of Parliament loses
confidence in the government.
Your takeaway from this is that the parliamentarians who
vote to defeat the government also throw themselves out. That is, when they get
elected, they understand that a good part of their mandate is to harm their own
interests if and when they determine that the government is not serving the
country as well as it should. This forces them at all time to think of the
interest of the country before their own. And that's an improvement over what
the American system has been reduced to.
Of course, the British system has its own problems too
because it was created centuries ago to respond to circumstances that existed
then but do not exist today. In fact, modern life has created new circumstances
with needs not addressed by any old system. And so, the system you're asked to
create with your wand, will have to reflect those needs … if you can determine
what they are.
There is no doubt that even if you manage to create the
ideal system – however it may look like – it will be difficult or near to
impossible for America to switch to it. But the countries which are new to this
game have the opportunity to experiment with new ideas, and work to put
together a system that will concord with the modern circumstances, which the
liberal democracies are not equipped to deal with. And that, in fact, is what's
happening in a number of places around the world at this time.
Jackson Diehl wrote a column on that subject under the
title: “Putin and Sissi are putting on elections. Why bother?” It was published
on March 4, 2018 in the Washington Post. Diehl attacks the countries that
started to experiment with new ideas, basing his attacks on what Larry Diamond,
a so-called expert on the subject, has been circulating.
When you look at what those two are saying, you'll know why
it will be impossible for a country like the United States to abandon its
decaying system and experiment with new ideas, let alone adopt another system,
no matter how ideal it may prove to be.
First of all, the politico-journalistic establishment in America does
not see governance as a civil service anymore. Those running it think of it as
a game of the blood sports kind where the winners are rewarded with the perks
of the office they occupy till challenged by someone else when they'll win or
lose the next battle.
Thus, instead of governing, these people start to campaign
and raise money right after they get elected, leaving the business of governing
to a staff that was selected for them––trained and regularly instructed on what
they must do next––by lobbyists who work for special interest groups. And these
are the ones that get the gravy, leaving the peanuts to the toiling, voting
masses.
Surely then, looking at these undeniable realities, and with
all due respect to the fathers of the American Republic, we must come to the
conclusion that absent a magic wand, the way to put together a governing system
that will work for the next century or two, will have to be experimented with
and fine-tuned to perfection.