Democracy gone Rogue or is it South? Bandwagon mentality.

When we look around the world as the pandemic racks people life, economy and most importantly freedom, one common feature is what we hear or see on television; lockdown from small, medium and large country democratic or autocratic, North or South. It shows this coronavirus pandemic doesn’t look any country in the eye, it ravages as it goes, as far as it can, if by chance you were caught sleeping on duty. The last word is what matters, ‘sleeping on duty.’ Where we caught napping? The word North and South, highlights the socio-characterization of our divided world or countries. Wherein the north is the rich and developed, the south is the semi-developed and or poverty stricken states. Back to the topic, democracy gone rogue or is it South?

The choice of this topic is driven in part by what I observe and can be termed bandwagon mentality that characterized various countries response to the pandemic. It is true it came as a sudden shock but we cannot deny that actions in China never happened in realtime. One thing that’s common is the near total level of lockdown that is implemented, only a few countries decided against it, Sweden. But the one thing that got me thinking is, the adoption of autocratic approach to an issue that is not humans cause but human victim (this can be debated if emotions don’t run amok)-deployment of military for law enforcement purpose in democratic countries is worrisome. According to Maas (German foreign Minister) “China has taken some very authoritarian measures.”

Wait a minute, China did it, now Italy has taken a leaf, and so did Spain, and so also a whole host of other countries did so too. If Nigeria, Pakistan adopts such an approach, I can understand because there has been long simmering issues on the ground. I avoided mentioning a host of other countries because time and space is of essence, anyway it did not surprise me. 

What can caused such heavy handed approach in democracy? I don’t want to say it. Say it! Ok! Here is my thinking as raw as it can get. At a point in time, the people stopped listening to their government because they feel, these guys are a bunch of ‘A...h, these politician are actually taking chances. We the people are their labs, where they conduct test. It is the lab of politicians opinion against the popular saying “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Why should we trust them? 

In France, on the eve of his maiden address, Mr Macron the president termed the pandemic invisible enemy. For that reason, he deploys the army. In the world biggest democracy, India, after a day of trial, the next move by the government without prior notice was total lockdown. In Italy, after weeks of indecision, when the Chinese finally arrived, the government decides to deploy the army to enforce lockdown. Spain also did the same. From the above analogy, one thing is very clear, trust is missing. The description of the pandemic as our “war” with an “invisible enemy,” Thomas L, Friedman says such imagery of “war metaphor is wrong and misleading.” This has lead to over handedness on many democratic, quasi democratic and authoritarian states, turning the pandemic into power grabbing opportunity. When democracy stops trusting that the people who entrusted power to a select few can think and support a given agenda for the benefit of the whole, democracy dies. Trust deficit leading to questions of legitimacy is the beginning to a much bigger problem in a democracy. Democracy cannot point fingers of success in autocratic state as a pretext for its actions. 

In democracy leaders are representatives of the people. All actions and decisions must be align with the desire of the people. In autocratic states, leaders lord it over their subject. In democracy we entrust the affairs of the state in the hands of a select few representatives. Humans we must remember will always be human. If we fail to keep adequate tab on their actions, we might pay a heavy price. From military deployment to use of technology to monitor us? The growing trend on facial recognition as apparatus for deployment should be concerning. South Korea, it is reported intends to keep up extensive testing and vigorous contact-tracing using security-camera footage, credit-card statements and mobile-phone location data. South Korea is different from China we are meant to reason but human nature is not science that can be work out in the lab to decide what are their motivation. What happens when such mechanisms is misused? Reasons to be vigilant. As government around the world tries to maintain control both by directing and framing the narrative, a dangerous trend might be brewing, surveillance and law. This is no longer a tool in the hands of autocrats even democracy are taking a leaf out of it to advance their social causes as a practice. A reason to watch and act, I didn’t say pray. These can be democracy gone rogue or south. 

In this contested space of power, state verses the people, anything can go wrong. When democracy dies the people suffer. So it is of essence to question, don’t just trust, sometimes doubt can yield some positive outcome as people in authority start to question themselves. We need to preserve this hard won battle of freedom. 

Realism never died: coronavirus is what States make of it.

With the end of Cold War came the unfortunate marginalization of theory that gave us a glimpse to what nation state really is. The implosion of constructivism as a paradigm right after this event, followed the accusation on realism for not predicting, but focusing on the prescriptive aspect to international relations. It is a big blow to students of realism. But nation state would be what it is, regardless of norms and structures that they develop. History has never misread what nation states does for living-survival. With all the talk of modernity, the recent pandemic proves history can be repeated, instinct for survival when it kicks in, it is survival of the fittest baby. Norms and institutions take the back sit, just like much of realism were made to, when constructivism carries the day in extrapolating how institution modifies states. Many new students of politics became migrants, assimilating much of the teachings of constructivist, being the savior of what political studies should be. Power politics still persist.

Less focus was given to what nation state really is, there was even talk that nation states would die a natural death. The logic reads that, non state actors would play a more active role in traditional functions of state, international organizations would represent the fora for commonality of behaviors. This was the ideal scientific man coined by Hans Morgenthau, the norm abiding gobblish that misread interest. Actually, norm entrepreneurship in current condition means States are never short of ‘up to something,’ tendency. States thinks scientifically of course but acts in real time. Great power competition aside, this new pandemic occurred at a very bad time, subduing cooperation, highlighting competition that breeds anarchy.

Universality of belief in norm eschews individuality and attendant anarchy in pursuit of general interest, this is idealistic utopianism.    

Wendt thinking revolves on the idea that changing the social construction of anarchy, can thereby obviate the worry that our neighbors will become our bedding partner. Lovers do kill remember. This is a world in which good agent thinks for everyone’s need since they know what is best to everyone, but these agents faces messy internal interests. This situation warrants the question, can there be fair judge and prosecutor occupying the same sit? Haven’t we been there before? Bear in mind “anarchy is what states makes of it. States are more than the scientific man, reality check. They don’t observe ordinances when their interest are at stake, they rather work around them and where if possible make it work for them. From individual states within European Union response to Italy in need, to Turkey and China directing companies to stop export. These are states hoarding pandemic essential at a time of crisis for national interest. It is sorrow go round, we see this both in big, small states, modern, backward states. While on this, much of realism went on hiatus as I stated earlier. But the outcome of current world affair points us back to where we are in today’s world. 

State never really died, they were hibernating, waiting for the winter chill to pass by. States during the coronavirus pandemic have proven that, “old soldier never dies.” Basic facts about realism taken for granted. These are the silent characteristics exhibited by states when cooperation demands eschewing interest for common good. The nation state of Westphalia imagined, resurfaces, reestablishes and even waxed stronger. States act in accordance to perceived interest as a given right. The core insight, phrased by Hans Morgenthau, is that “we must see the world as it is, rather than as we want it to be” this is also true about nation state. That some states in modern times were being characterized as acting like mafias or modern day pirates is testament to reality. Where is the norms and structure meant to guide against life against the jungle? Anarchy is part of states construction, we cannot pretend that all is good that ends badly. From deployment of the military personal on the streets in peacetime against unimaginably foe, to use of war time imagery, words and action to achieve a common message, am back again in control. The virus is nation state framing of war image to maintain sovereignty from invading enemy. Hmmm! The only mental explanation while the pandemic runs amok. Does the state ever accept failure? This is why accountability is required after all said and done.

In conclusion, the return of classical realism shall be relief, its points us to states action and possible reaction. The basic fact of life is if we fail to understand the state, we may forever be shocked when similar event is repeated. The Westphalian architecture of Hobbesian state means, realism would never dies. 

By Celestine Chidi