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Democracy – Institutions vs Society

Erdogan_Turkey_Institutions_Democracy_Society

We have learned that even though we have the hardware of democracy — institutions, elections — our software is not good. We are too attuned to status, too willing to submit to authority.
Source: nytimes

This seems to be a common thread in malfunctioning, yet democratic governments across many countries of Asia and Africa, including my own – India.

The crucial, and scary, bit is that the populace prefers status & authority, to institutions and due process. Was scared a few years back to see India following Turkey’s footsteps1. Given where Turkey is now, scared even more for India.


  1. At the risk of triggering Godwin’s law, the progression from secular democracy to religious-nationalist autocracy in Turkey seems to be following quite closely in the footsteps of Hitler’s rise in Germany, and Stalin era purges in the USSR. Beyond sad. Scary. 
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