The Philippines
and Democracy
The Philippines And the struggle for democracy
The second half of the 20th century brought many new countries in Southeast Asia. A majority of these countries began to use western democracies to shape their government. The Philippines is among the newly democratized developing states. The Philippines has been directly influenced by the United States in developing its autonomy as a democracy. Because of continuing corruption and dynastic rule, contradictions in political culture, and semi-authoritarian rule the Philippines is still far from a representative democracy and will take many more years before they do.
Background always forms the backbone of current structure. For this reason it is important to value the history of the influencing ideology just as important as the current structure. Current structure shares an equal importance in predicting the future of a state, along side with its history. The most vital issues that face any country and their chances with democracy lie in the current problems. Not only is it important to recognize these problems but also address possible solutions. Once the issues, historical and current, facing the Philippines are addressed then it becomes apparent why the country not represent a true democracy, but also why it will take much time before it does.
Ideological development
In order to understand the future of the Philippines and democracy, it is important to comprehend what democracy is and what historically has occurred in the country. Democracy even among scholars has formed many shapes. It is very important to consider all the factors and weight them accordingly to grasp the future of a country. But what is democracy?
Democracy has found a blurred definition among the average person with only the understanding that it provides liberty to its people. Although democracy has been around in history for many centuries it now demands several pillars that uphold its purpose. Along with several
The second half of the 20th century brought many new countries in Southeast Asia. A majority of these countries began to use western democracies to shape their government. The Philippines is among the newly democratized developing states. The Philippines has been directly influenced by the United States in developing its autonomy as a democracy. Because of continuing corruption and dynastic rule, contradictions in political culture, and semi-authoritarian rule the Philippines is still far from a representative democracy and will take many more years before they do.
Background always forms the backbone of current structure. For this reason it is important to value the history of the influencing ideology just as important as the current structure. Current structure shares an equal importance in predicting the future of a state, along side with its history. The most vital issues that face any country and their chances with democracy lie in the current problems. Not only is it important to recognize these problems but also address possible solutions. Once the issues, historical and current, facing the Philippines are addressed then it becomes apparent why the country not represent a true democracy, but also why it will take much time before it does.
Ideological development
In order to understand the future of the Philippines and democracy, it is important to comprehend what democracy is and what historically has occurred in the country. Democracy even among scholars has formed many shapes. It is very important to consider all the factors and weight them accordingly to grasp the future of a country. But what is democracy?
Democracy has found a blurred definition among the average person with only the understanding that it provides liberty to its people. Although democracy has been around in history for many centuries it now demands several pillars that uphold its purpose. Along with several
Bibliography: CIA. World Fact Book: Philippines; background/government: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/rp.html Huntington, Samuel. 1997 "After Twenty Years: the Future of the Third Wave," Journal of Democracy Vol. 8 Iss. 4 p. 3 Huntington, Samuel P. 1968. "Political Order in Changing Societies" Yale University, pg 32-71. O 'Neil, Patrick. 2004 "Essentials of Comparative Politics" W.W. Norton & Company pg. 148-157 Sheehan, Deidre. 2005 "More Power to the Powerful" Far Eastern Economic Review, Vol. 168 Iss. 7 pg. 77-78 Shin, Doh Chull. 2005 "Is Democracy the Only Game in Town" Journal of Democracy. Baltimore. Vol. 16. Iss. 2; pg 89 Skene, Christopher. 2003 "Authoritarian practices in new democracies" Journal of Contemporary Asia. Manila. Vol. 33, Iss. 2; pg. 189-206 Unknown, 2005. "Asia: Limping forwards; The Philippines" The Economist, London. Vol. 374, Iss 8418; pg 72