Guest Editorial: Rethinking Democracy

Despite the general claims of triumph and success by its proponents and defenders, the universality and normativity of democracy is currently under scrutiny.
Its proponents claim democracy as the most important development in the twentieth century. Democracy has been widely accepted as the ‘normal’ form of government to which all nations are entitled – whether in Europe, America, Asia, or Africa.
The assumption is that for a nation to prosper, a democratic state is required. Democracy is hailed as the only system of governance where there is freedom of expression, equality, economic development and peace. Recent academic debates, however, have revealed diverse attitudes toward democracy.