WHO IS KILLING DEMOCRACY?

The hollowing out of democracy has been caused by a grotesque celebration of greed, the massive growth of inequality, a culture of cruelty, and a disdain for public virtues, all wrapped up in an authoritarian populism.

This book is based on long research and in-depth exploration of the dynamic relationship between the states and corporations, which has changed sharply with the rise of globalisation. It shows the impact of the corporate power over people’s lives. It not only raises questions about the future of democracy but also offers various solutions for protecting and saving democracy, and various ways to defeat the corporatocracy.

The author J. Dhopte got a degree in mechanical engineering, diploma in marine engineering and master’s in financial management. He worked in Merchant Navy for 10 years, travelling across the globe on ships. He had a border-less career in maritime, plastic, service, hospitality and education industries with opportunities to work in various locations around the world. Currently, he is working as a Professor.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Globally, political officials have reinforced their executive departments through the weakening of the independence and authority of the Supreme Courts. Global democracies are facing a serious threat from elected officials who occasionally refuse to step down from office. Autocracies eventually arise when a government functions without considering the needs of the very people who elected it.

Some autocrats or political elites are violent and intolerable. Their goals are to nationalize capitalism and seize control of the state for totalitarian purposes. They use narratives associated with right-wing populism and nationalism to rewrite history. They give the "corporate state" the illusion of democratic legitimacy. They simply ignore public concerns about freedom, justice, equality, and social discussion. Despite massive protests and opposition to their policies, they offer more undemocratic answers to urgent problems.

Anti-intellectual trends and sectarian politics are unfolding in nations ruled by elected Governments. Secularism and a pluralistic worldview are coming under constant attack. Attacks on minority groups have seen a rise and religion has almost taken the centre-stage in all political discourses. Democracies across the globe have come under a major threat as elected leaders at times refuse to vacate office. A government that operates without taking into account the needs of the very people who elected it eventually tends to become autocratic. Protectionist attitudes, de -globalization, hyper-nationalism, and polarising politics are all dramatically increasing. This is especially true during election campaigns, when propaganda is deftly used to spread false information and engender panic among the populace about potential dangers from outside forces to their religious, cultural, and ethnic identities.

Today, they are tribalists rather than cosmopolitans, contemptuous of experts rather than respectful of knowledge, and nostalgic for an idyllic past rather than hopeful for a better future. The clash of civilizations dominates global politics. The fault lines between civilizations are the battle lines of the future. Collectively, people across the world are losing faith in democratic institutions. The democratic process should satisfy the citizens of stable democracies. There may be unpopular politicians or administrations. However, demagogues and opportunists may dismiss them if the public lacks commitment to democratic ideas or loses faith in democratic institutions. The level of public trust in democracy is at an all-time low.

In the end, every nation on earth is a nation of men. It always depends on the individuals involved. It constantly depends on what public servants really do and if voters actually hold elected officials accountable for violating democratic norms. There is a type of democratic disenchantment; as we have seen, people believe that the institutions aren't working for them in many democracies around the world. People feel that the systems aren't delivering for them. And that is a very serious reason for concern. The electoral college was a bargain struck in order to keep the colonies together, to keep the small ones in with the big ones. And for much of the twentieth century, we never had this situation where the winner of the electoral college did not win the popular vote. Part of that reason was that the population was more dispersed.

Democratic backsliding today begins at the ballot box. The path to electoral breakdown is dangerously deceptive. On the electoral road, none of these things happen. There are no tanks in the streets. Constitutions and other institutions that claim to be democratic are still in force. Voting is still done. Elected autocrats destroy democracy's core while maintaining its outward appearance. Many government efforts to subvert democracy are "legal," in the sense that they are approved by the legislature or accepted by the courts. They may even be portrayed as efforts to improve democracy. Newspapers continue to publish despite being intimidated or bought into self-censorship. Despite their continued criticism of the government, citizens frequently run into legal or tax issues.

The situation is not immediately apparent to people. Many people still think they are citizens of a democracy. There is not a single moment — no coup, no declaration of martial law, no suspension of the constitution — in which the regime obviously "crosses the line" into dictatorship; nothing may set off society’s alarm bells. Established parties introduce extremists into the mainstream out of fear or mistake. By packing and "weaponizing" the courts and other impartial agencies, buying off the media and the private sector (or intimidating them into silence), and rewriting the rules of politics to tip the scales in favour of opponents, institutions become political weapons that are used violently against those who do not have control over them.

The tragic paradox of the electoral path to authoritarianism is that democracy's assassins use its own institutions to kill it – gradually, subtly, and even legally.

Democracy became a project for the winners of the Cold War. That project was for export to all kinds of places. In the post-Cold War years, the projected success of the market economy made democracy appealing to people, who began to equate democracy with prosperity. But that is yesterday’s story. The same market, particularly "footloose capitalism," is now killing democracy. Economic and financial globalisation empowered some but disempowered many. The West forgot that democracy develops differently on diverse soils in its eagerness to export democracy. The economic utopia that unfettered, unrestricted, and unavoidable global free trade promised turned out to be an illusion while the Cold War winners preached about democracy.

The tide of democratic expansion soon came to a halt, and democracy started to backtrack. It occurred at the same time as China's authoritarian regimes were coming together. The Chinese model gained popularity as a viable option. China's expanding aid to underdeveloped, non-democratic nations puts doubt on democracies' dismal track record of supporting neo-democracies. The democratic world soon took a backseat while China took up all the major tasks.

Indian political thinker, Dr. Ambedkar had warned,

"If things go wrong under the new constitution, the reason will not be that we had a bad constitution. We would like to say that man was vile." Ambedkar also saw the perils of hero worship when he said, "In politics, hero worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship."

E books and Paperbacks are available for PRE- ORDER on –

INDIA - https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0CY9YCVN2

US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CY9YCVN2

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CY9YCVN2

AUSTRALIA - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CY9YCVN2

MEXICO - https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B0CY9YCVN2

CANADA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CY9YCVN2

BELGIUM - https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0CY9YCVN2

JAPAN - https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0CY9YCVN2

NETHERLAND - https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0CY9YCVN2

ITALY - https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0CY9YCVN2

SPAIN - https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0CY9YCVN2