Embedded Files
“Democracy is the worst form of government – except for all the others that have been tried before it.” - Sir Winston Churchill
The above quote demonstrates the idea that most Western liberal democratic nations tend to believe that all nations should have governments and ideologies like theirs. However, as seen with the imposition of liberalism on Indigenous peoples in Canada, it can ignore other values that are important, such as a sense of belonging, cooperation, humility, and concern for others. Many would argue that no single political doctrine works perfectly for every culture and society. While liberalism stresses human dignity, freedom, and equality, those values can be expressed different ways by different people.
National interest
National interest
The idea of forcing countries to adopt liberalism is not new – it goes back to the end of World War One when President Woodrow Wilson stated democracy and self-determination had to be established in Europe as a basis for peace. The reality is that spreading democracy around the world serves the interest of democratic nations like the United States and Canada.
Economic reasons
Economic reasons
The same can be said with regard to the economy. The adoption of capitalist, economic liberalism tends to go hand in hand with trying to impose democracy. It benefits countries with free market economies to trade and deal with other free market economies.
humanitarian reasons
humanitarian reasons
This is another common argument for imposing liberalism. Humanitarians promote human welfare, and want to improve lives and reduce suffering, often by trying to reform societies. Some believe that liberal, democratic nations should not trade with countries that commit human rights abuses.
Complete the doc below to get a better understanding of the use of force to impose liberalism in response to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in 2001.
Afghanistan Today
Afghanistan Today
After the withdrawl of NATO and US troops from Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban quickly re-took control of the country. What could this say about the effectiveness of Western nations when they try to force other nations to adopt democracy and liberal ideology?
Finally, read pages 236-240 of your textbook to learn more about imposing democracy in other nations.
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