Tag / Democracy
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Going Towards And Away From Democracy
On March 24, Thailand will hold its first elections since a 2014 coup made General Prayut Chan-ocha the Prime Minister. Currently, Thailand is ruled by a military junta. This isn’t the first instance of junta rule in Thailand. Since it became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, Thailand has experienced twelve coups, more than any other…
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The Plan To Elect The President By Majority
The United States Constitution is outdated, rigid, and quirky. It is the oldest living Constitution, is notoriously difficult to amend, and it established arcane institutions like the Electoral College, which is so convoluted that no other country decided to emulate it. The Constitution is also unique in that it cedes a substantial amount of legislative…
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The Middle East In The 2020s
As the Middle East enters the last year of this decade, it has completed what could be the worst epoch in its history. Oxford Professor Eugene Rogan, in The Arabs: A History, talks about the feeling of humiliation present in the Arab world following a series of events. The defeat of Iraq in the First…
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Amending The Amendment Process
Under Article V of the Constitution, two thirds of both the House and the Senate must approve of any potential Constitutional Amendment. If both houses approve, the amendment is sent to each of the fifty states and becomes law only if three quarters of the states vote to ratify it. The system creates daunting barriers…
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Mr. Modi’s India
In 2014, Narendra Modi, leader of India’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), became Prime Minister of India by winning the largest democratic election in history. He handily defeated the Congress Party’s candidate, and assumed office with a powerful mandate to reform. Modi’s decisive electoral victory proved the health and dynamism of India’s democracy. His opponent,…
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Red Tape Blues: The Need For More Bureaucratic Independence
We often use ‘bureaucracy’ as a dirty word. Everyone has a horror story about waiting in line for hours at the DMV or spending ages trying to file their taxes correctly. Dealing with red tape has become part of Americans’ day-to-day life. [su_pullquote align=”right”]The legislative branch makes policy, but bureaucracy is how policy actually happens.[/su_pullquote]Since most…
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Addressing Democracy
Zack: “Hey, come on, come get pizza with Rob and me.” Jack: “Nah, I’ll pass. I’m not hungry right now.” Zack: “But we want you to.” Jack: “I’m deciding not to.” Zack: “Too bad. There’s two of us and one of you, so you’re outvoted. Majority rules. You have to come and get pizza with…
