You can force a people to an election booth but you cannot force a democracy on a people. Unfortunately, that is the problem with the American establishment’s understanding of democracy – that to vote is to embrace democracy.

Mr. Bush believes that voting is the sign of democracy. So you can erode various processes of participation, serve subpoenas to organizers of discussions, limit dissent to free speech zone, keep everyone who disagrees with you in safe areas, cow down protesters with pepper spray and tasers but as long as you can have elections, you are a democracy. His opponent, Mr. Kerry, largely agrees. No wonder that the Democratic Convention had nothing to say about free speech zones, about the space for those who dissent. The political establishment of USA agrees – democracy is about voting. Details of participation or even fairness in processes only confuse the matter.

No wonder, then, that processes of participation – arguably, more important to democracy than voting – find little mention in political discussions. Discussions on campaign finance – an issue that will affect whether voices that are not backed by large dollar amounts can be heard – have been largely sidelined. There is no realistic space for third parties, no real avenues for voices not represented by the two-party system within this political establishment. Neither party is concerned that these voices remain unheard. Neither party is concerned that key issues – opposition to the war in Iraq, universal health care, employee rights, rights of the GLBT community – have been effectively shut out of these debates. And yet, the very fact that people go to the elections, the leadership believes, makes the US a democracy.

Thus, the leadership of the USA believes that it can thrust a democracy on another nation – after all, you only need to hold elections. You can turn Afghanistan into a democracy overnight. It is immaterial that various tribes do not talk to each other that their leaders would shoot at the other. It does not matter that there is little conversation on issues – or even an environment to have these conversations. It matters little that in fact over two decades policies were implemented to take Afghanistan from a democracy with an elected President to a state of chaos, of complete destruction of all process of social participation. It matters little that basic infrastructure needed for people to survive – shelter from the harsh Central Asian winter, food, medical health, water – has been completely destroyed. It matters little that people can hardly participate in democratic processes in the absence of basic necessities. It matters little that tribes continue to be armed to fight. All that matters is that it is convenient now for the President of the USA to decree that Afghanistan is now a democracy and all will be well. All that matters is that people can be taken to election booths; that there are no processes of participation, no environment for participation, in policies or in decisions made by those in power is a small detail. Questions of rigging are small details.

Just like the President of USA said that Iraq had been liberated and the mission had been accomplished. Just like he said that Iraq is now free. Thus, freedom has been thrust on the people of Iraq – freedom from a dictator, yes. Also, freedom from security, from the right to dissent, freedom from infrastructures that allowed for production and distribution, freedom from their own oil, and freedom from the direction of their own nation. Soon, they will also be taken to the elections. And declared a democracy.

But perhaps, one should take heart. At least the political establishment in the US believes what is good for its own people, is good for others. That all that is needed for a good democracy is an election.

- Sanat Mohanty