<span id="result_box" class="" lang="en"><span style="" title="">Hello,<br></span><span style="" title="">You have all your reading of "democracy" and I'll grant you. </span><span style="" title="">But in African realities, "democracy" is still an event for "galas" and the rhetoric of African political zombies. </span><span style="" title="">So
I can not pretend that Africa's population actually participates,
according to the sacred principles of universal democracy, the
management of pubic thing.<br></span></span><span id="result_box" class="" lang="en"><span style="" title="">There are certainly exceptions but it's very very thin.<br></span></span><span id="result_box" class="" lang="en"><span style="" title=""></span><span style="" title=""><br clear="all">
</span></span> Baudouin<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">2010/12/7 Milton L Mueller <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mueller@syr.edu">mueller@syr.edu</a>></span><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div bgcolor="white" link="blue" vlink="purple" lang="EN-US"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
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<br>One, a call to frame such principles in form of a framework convention on the Internet, is a part of our input to the EC process, and so, yes, i agree completely. New institutional developments should be framed by and within codified principles. <span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Courier New"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Courier New"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">But we need to make it clear that the principles involve _<i>limitations</i>_ on power, and rights for end users. The term “principles” is a bit too vague by itself.</span></p>
<div class="im"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Secondly,, i have always thought that terms like democracy and even 'participatory' very clearly, and centrally, include all the needed checks and balances against majoritarianism. <span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Courier New"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">I guess this is where we disagree. In Western academic and political discourse, at least, the term “democracy” does not mean the same thing as “liberal democracy” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="im">Why do you suspect otherwise. I do not understand why centuries old concepts and ideas like democracy are suddenly opened up to such unjustified criticism or critiques, as if something quite novel is being discussed or proposed. <br>
<br></div><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Courier New"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Well, democracy means “rule by the people” and thus raises the issue of what “public” or “people” one is talking about. Democracy has for the past 3-4 centuries meant “nations” or more territorially delimited publics. Global democracy is indeed something extremely novel. </span><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Courier New"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">You are probably already familiar with this but for some good discussions of what it means, see this web site: <a href="http://www.buildingglobaldemocracy.org/content/cgd-case-studies" target="_blank">http://www.buildingglobaldemocracy.org/content/cgd-case-studies</a> </span></p>
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