A Change in Liberal Democracy

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how the existence of the Cold War had many effects on liberal democratic states and also affected to a degree the way in which democracy was, and continues to be, understood in these states. The paper explains that this includes the United States, which in some ways has come to see democracy as a given that more and more people have been willing to give up aspects of a democratic state in the face of a threat, as has been seen in the acquiescence of the people to a variety of intrusions on their democratic rights since 9-11. The paper also discusses how the success of democracy in the Cold War should have solidified that political ideology as to be preferred, but its very success seems to have opened it to new threats from within. In conclusion, the paper shows that more and more, liberal democracies are defining themselves in terms of collective security over individual preference, and this signals a profound shift in thought that only makes the future more uncertain.

From the Paper:

"Schlesinger says that America in the past has stood as an example of a federal, multi-ethnic society that worked, but he seems to believe that this is no longer the case. The U.S. has worked because it has been able to offer answers to the question of what reasons are there for different ethnic groups to see themselves as part of the same nation. Schlesinger now sees an eruption of ethnicity in America, which may have many good consequences, but which he also believes has many bad consequences."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Abdolian, L.F. & Takooshian, H. "The USA PATRIOT Act: Civil Liberties, the Media, and Public Opinion." Fordham Urban Law Journal 30(4)(2003), 1429.
• Ahlstrom, R.P. "The European Community Faces 1992." Current History (November 1991), 374-378.
• Bachman, Ronald D. Romania: A Country Study (Washington: Library of Congress, 1989), 44-45.
• Chalk, Peter. "The Response to Terrorism as a Threat to Liberal Democracy." The Australian Journal of Politics and History, Volume 44, Issue 3 (1998), 373.
• "EC Aid to the East: Good Intentions, Poor Performance," The Economist (April 10, 1993), 21-23.

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