THERE is an old saying that goes something like this: “It makes a difference whose ox is being gored.” The point of this saying is that the same event can look different to different people. It depends upon each one’s background and interest in the matter. It is usually easier for a person to be generous and unprejudiced about a problem as long as he is not too closely involved. But what happens if the problem moves into his own backyard, as it were? Then he may be prone to view it in a different light.
Nations are like people in this respect, except that their attitudes affect millions of persons and the course of world history. As long as a problem does not touch a nation directly, it can be very noble and generous in its outlook. But as soon as the national interest is directly involved, it may quickly change its stance. So it is that two countries can take completely opposite views of the same problem or point of history. However, this does not mean that one (or both) is deliberately lying, though that could be the case. Indeed, they may not even be aware that they are presenting almost totally different interpretations of the same events.
A look at a few historical situations will reveal that this is true. It will help readers to appreciate that misunderstandings between nations are almost unavoidable under today’s political systems. It also emphasizes how badly all mankind needs a better system of government.
The average citizen of the United States is aware of certain “facts” about Canada, the vast country that lies to his north. But his information may not go much beyond knowing that there are descendants of the British, French and Americans living there, that they see the northern lights, and that the Mounted Police ‘always get their man.’ If he is old enough he may have heard about the Dionne quintuplets.
One of such “facts” the average American assumes is that for the past two centuries Canadians as a whole have loved Americans. Indeed, he may feel that Canadians would no doubt have been willing to become a part of the United States if the British or Canadian governments would have permitted it.
Beyond this knowledge, there are many other things that the US government doesn’t know about Canada. However, with the existing relationship within Canada and the US today, it is pretty obvious how the two countries have tried a lot in mending the shortcomings of both governments to each other. Through the International trade, there has been competition between the two, but amidst the economic struggling that happens in the International trade; both countries try to connect the differences they have against each other.
Politically, there are still some existing misunderstandings between Canada and the United States. Although this is true, many analysts believe that both governments would be able to make amends with all these issues because of diplomacy and the application of human rights law and other international relationship principles. Indeed it is still undeniable that Political conflicts usually occur between neighboring countries especially with regards to economic struggles. However, if diplomacy is considered, these conflicts could be given way and set aside for some time, for the sake of the bigger public.
Question: What are some of the most serious threats to democracy in Latin America today?
TODAY, many Third World countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America are impoverished and hindered in countless ways. People in many of these lands accuse their existing governments and local religious leaders of oppression. Others blame their current problems on foreign debt. Today, aside from all the oppression and government’s ‘authority abuse as claimed by some Latinos, it is quite sure that the government of Latin America and the society living around it is alarmed in living less democratic lives in the near future. Among the reasons behind this is the Political situation within the territories of the said country. According to Donald B.Schulz in his article “The growing threat to democracy in Latin America”, he said that Peru’s troubled electoral processes in the year 2001 indicates the on going threat to the Latin American democracy.
Among the main reasons referred to by political analysts is the justice development of Latin America. With the development of the judicial processes and contents of the laws of the Latin American governments, it is quite obvious how the enhanced status of the Latin American laws have directly affected the democracy of the society of the said social section.
Certainly, anything that is too much is not good. Even laws which are supposed to secure the human community begin to have less effective ways of protecting the society once it is abused. Indeed, everything should remain in a balanced way especially with regards to social acceptance.
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