Cause of democratic failure in Russia and West Africa

Cause of democratic failure in Russia and West Africa

The wave of democratization in the 1990s that swept across the world brought hope to the West that a liberal democratic world order was rising on the horizon. However, this hope was short-lived. Democratic experiments in Russia crumbled during Putin’s long 22 years tenure *and before that)while West Africa’s democratic experiment collapsed under triple pressures: the Northern radical islamic rebellion , Military coups, and deeply rooted corruption. To understand the failure of liberal democratic political systems in Russia and West Africa, we need to look at the core of these countries’ “democratic institutions' '. before the rise of Putin and the democratic decline in Western Africa. Mired in corruption, incompetence, and disconnected with the populace, the experiment of democracy in West Africa and Russia are set for failure from its start.

Russia during the age of Boris Yeltsin(1990s) was often hailed by the West as stepping toward liberal democracy. Massive political reforms were made as Russia changed its political system from the Soviet model to the Western liberal democratic model. Neo liberal economic reforms and attempts to replicate the western separation of powers were made in accordance with the Western model. However, these reforms were weak and easily manipulated from the start. Boris Yeltsin used force when faced with opposition from the legislative branch with the military’s violent action against it in 1993. Yeltsin’s 1996 election victory, often hailed as an example of Russian democracy, was also highly manipulated from the start. We could find that some of Putin’s actions likely referenced some of Yeltsin’s actions. However, the actions of Yeltsin were not the most important reason for Russia’s democratic failure. Corruption and incompetence was. Russia, since the collapse of the Soviet Union has been dominated by powerful oligarchs who hold massive political power. The presidency became a representative of the oligarchical powers with elected officials becoming their puppets. The military was also mired in corruption as generals grabbed money while soldiers starved. Corruption was at all levels as ethnic minority regions such as Chechenia were actively seeking separation, (and during the interval of the First and Second Chechen Wars, enjoyed success in this regard.) Russia, if it continued continuing on its 1990s path, was set on a path of failure because of massive class and ethnic divisions. It was in this environment that someone like Putin could succeed. There was an ideological and political vacuum in most Russians’ minds and Putin seized on the opportunity to champion himself as the defender of nationalism and the Orthodox religion. Putin was also a candidate that could find acceptance amongst all political factions. The Religious authorities saw him as a supporter of the church. The oligarchs could preserve economic power under him, and the military regained a certain level of prestige and funding, and the Communists supported his limited renationalization and more interventionist economic policy. The Russian people also saw him as someone who was strong enough to stop the country from slipping down even further in status and regaining Russia’s once superpower status. These factors combined resulted in a powerful Putin who enjoyed constant public support as well as support from different factions of the Russian elite. Putin immediately seized on his high public support and strengthened his grip on power with propaganda and dictatorial measures such as rigged elections while tying himself to the fate of the Russian nation. Therefore, with the weak system mired in corruption and oligarchy in the 1990s, Russian democracy was set on a path of failure.

If Russia’s democratic system was on a path of failure, then West Africa’s democracy was nonexistent or only nominal from the start. (Particularly this latter point) Let’s take the example of Mali. The country was once known for its successful democratic reform after the coup led by Amadou Toumani Touré which established a multi party hybrid democracy and was widely credited for the country’s relative stability in the 1990s. Underneath the surface however, a storm was gathering. Mali had suffered severely from a food crisis in the early 2010s which led to population displacement, starvation, and growing discontent of the people. In early 1990s, the Northern Tuareg people established various insurgent organizations in the hope of establishing an independent Tuareg state. Although two truces signed in 1991 and 1995 temporarily halted fighting, discontent grew among the ignored and abandoned Tuareg people. Their nomadic culture and way of living was vastly different from the agrarian Mali mainstream society in the South. The Tuareg people sensed an opportunity when Libyan dictator Muhammad Ghaddifi was overthrown and a mass influx of weapons from Ghaddifi’s huge arsenal crossed the border. After all-out war broke out, the delicate tranquility of the Malian society collapsed as the military, long desiring a political comeback, launched a coup. After that, Mali fell into a crisis with banditry, looting, lawlessness, and the attempt of restoring democracy in the 2018 election swiftly collapsed with government incompetence and subsequent coup in 2020. From the example of Mali, we can see that the soil for democracy simply doesn't exist in West Africa.The region was too fractionalized along tribal, religious, and class differences while dictatorial rule was quickly established and even desired by the population in hope of order. The military evolved into a political institution using their guns to seize power, causing the elected government to fear those who should’ve protected them. Another example would be the failed socialist experiment of Burkina Faso. The country was ruled by a corrupt civilian dictator and the military for most of its early years when it was known by the name of Upper Volta. After the military coup that installed radical socialist Tomas Sankara, Burkina Faso experienced four years of radical socialist reform that ended with economic collapse and the coup of former compatriot of Sankara, Blaise Compaoré. The subsequent decades old dictatorship saw the rise of Tuareg and radical islamic militancy along with the stagnant economy and the rising poverty rate. Compore was overthrown in an uprising in 2014, but the stagnant economy did not get any better as an radical Islamic insurgency spread rapidly in the North of the country.Recently Currently, Burkina Faso experienced a military coup and the security situation has continued continues to deteriorate. Through In the example of Burkina Faso, we can see that democracy was close to nonexistent, and the country was ruled by corrupt civilian dictators and military juntas. The North-South divide of Burkina Faso further worsened the problem with the people of Burkina Faso under constant threat of militant terrorism. The democratic form of government has never existed in West Africa and attempts to establish democratic regimes were hindered by military intervention in politics and corruption that had deep roots in the country’s establishment. Under these woeful situations, the constantly neglected Northern Tuareg nomadic people turned to jihadist militants who at least can provide a certain level of order. Rising militant activity will in turn exacerbate internal division and encourage military coups, causing the frequent failures of democratic experiment of the democratic form of government in West Africa.

Throughout the 1990s, the world experienced a wave of democratization as the Western world hailed the “end of history”. and it seems that a liberal democratic world order was taking shape. It did not last. As shown by the example of Russia, the new “democratic” system became mired in corruption, incompetence, and dominated by powerful oligarchs controlling the Russian economy and politics. These phenomena were the result of a failed attempt to create a sustainable post Soviet order, thus setting the country up for the rise of Putin. The situation in West Africa is different as the region does not have any democratic precedent, with tribalism dominating politics. The West African armies were more like a bunch of political players than military institutions. Corruption had deep roots in the governments of West Africa with stagnant economies further fueling disorder, thus making dictatorship popular due to the ability of the military to provide basic order to society.