One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Democracy is Not Always the Best Form of Government

One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Democracy is Not Always the Best Form of Government

Democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried. So said Winston Churchill and who would disagree? One man, one vote, the rule of law, equality and a free press. These are the principles which tens of thousands have been imprisoned or lost their lives for in despotic regimes from South America to Burma. But is the assumption that democracy always leads to a freer and more tolerant society correct? Many would argue that it can lead to quite illiberal outcomes especially where there is profound ethnic division. What if democracy were installed in Syria? It’s not hard to imagine what would happen to the minority groups who have enjoyed the protection of Assad’s regime. There have been successful transitions to democracy in post- war Germany and Japan, but free elections in countries such as Iraq and Egypt have not brought peace and prosperity. In this debate, from March 2014, Rosemary Hollis, Professor of Middle East Studies at City University, and Martin Jacques... Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(1575)

How To Kill A Language, with Sophia Smith Galer (Part One)

How To Kill A Language, with Sophia Smith Galer (Part One)

What do we lose when a language dies? Roughly 7,000 languages are spoken around the world today. Over half of them are expected to vanish in the next century – along with the wealth of information th...

24 Touko 34min

The Secret Life of Our Organs and How They Keep us Healthy, with Dr Giulia Enders

The Secret Life of Our Organs and How They Keep us Healthy, with Dr Giulia Enders

How can changing the way we breathe lower stress and blood pressure? Why is touch so important for premature babies and ICU patients? And what can our organs teach us about staying healthy? Dr Giulia...

23 Touko 41min

Chasing Aliens, with Jon Ronson and Daniel Lavelle (Part Two)

Chasing Aliens, with Jon Ronson and Daniel Lavelle (Part Two)

Are we really alone in the universe? The question of whether there is extraterrestrial life is one of our oldest questions. And few nations on Earth are more captivated by the prospect of life on Mar...

21 Touko 35min

Chasing Aliens, with Jon Ronson and Daniel Lavelle (Part One)

Chasing Aliens, with Jon Ronson and Daniel Lavelle (Part One)

Are we really alone in the universe? The question of whether there is extraterrestrial life is one of our oldest questions. And few nations on Earth are more captivated by the prospect of life on M...

19 Touko 36min

Has Far-Right Politics Entered The Mainstream in the UK? With Daniel Trilling

Has Far-Right Politics Entered The Mainstream in the UK? With Daniel Trilling

Has far-right thinking entered mainstream politics in the UK?  In 2025, Britain saw its largest-ever far-right rally, following a summer of flag-waving protests. Then, in May 2026, local elections re...

17 Touko 47min

Love, Loss and Mourning Paul Auster, with Siri Hustvedt

Love, Loss and Mourning Paul Auster, with Siri Hustvedt

What does it mean to mourn a shared life? In this episode, essayist and novelist Siri Hustvedt speaks to book critic Mythili Rao about Ghost Stories. Her most personal work yet, it is a searing and i...

16 Touko 39min

What Would Happen If We Met Aliens? With Neil deGrasse Tyson

What Would Happen If We Met Aliens? With Neil deGrasse Tyson

World famous astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson joins Dr Radha Modgil to discuss his new book Take Me to Your Leader, exploring the science of alien life, humanity’s obsession with UFOs, and what first co...

15 Touko 47min

London Falling: Patrick Radden Keefe on How Money, Power and Corruption Shape Our City, with Emily Maitlis (Part Two)

London Falling: Patrick Radden Keefe on How Money, Power and Corruption Shape Our City, with Emily Maitlis (Part Two)

Patrick Radden Keefe is an award winning writer known for his ability to tell complex stories in ways that are compelling and revealing. Author of the bestsellers Empire of Pain—a shocking exposé of t...

12 Touko 33min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

uutiscast
aikalisa
politiikan-puskaradio
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
viisupodi
tervo-halme
otetaan-yhdet
rss-podme-livebox
rss-asiastudio
rss-pinnalla
the-ulkopolitist
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
rss-girls-finish-f1rst
rss-ulkopoditiikkaa
linda-maria
rss-raha-talous-ja-politiikka
rss-50100-podcast
rss-toisten-taskuilla