A Global Perspective

An Interview with Christiane Amanpour

GJIA: In the past half-century, the number of democracies has increased substantially. Some believe democratic growth is inevitable, given that other forms of government have proven to be poor advocates for their own citizens. How do you view the future of democratic growth?

amanpour: I think that democracy is almost everybody's default setting. People, given a chance, want democracy. That said, you have to ask the question: "What do you mean by democracy?" Here in the United States, some believe that there is only one kind of democracy and that others should embrace that kind of democracy. I think a lot of people around the world want a democratic system that is culturally, politically, and historically appropriate to their own experience. Nonetheless, most embrace the universal values of freedom, the right to elect their own leader, a fair and impartial judiciary that is not run by the state, and a free press. The rule of law is very important to people all over the world. For many people in non-democratic nations, that is the scariest thing: the lack of rule of law, whereby punishment, arrest, torture, and imprisonment are arbitrary. And there is no recourse. If you ask the majority of people in the world, this is what they will say. If you then ask them: "Well, do you want Washington-style democracy?" they will answer: "Some of it but not all of it."

Christiane Amanpour is Chief International Correspondent for CNN.