The Global Challenges of Comparative Politics

In the article “Democracy in Decline: How Washington Can Reverse the Tide,” the author, Larry Diamond, details the declination of democracy across the world as a global issue. Diamond explains that, following the Cold War, democracy became vibrant across the world. However, it slowly began to decline, which was seen in Kenya, Russia, Thailand, and Turkey. Additionally, other non-democratic states, particularly authoritarian regimes, are drifting further away from democracy, becoming less responsive to their people. Diamond explains that these authoritarian states are becoming less open because they are increasing their censorships and are arresting those who resist. Furthermore, these governments are also restricting organizations from outside communications and operations. Nearly a hundred laws have been enacted in the past four years restricting freedom of assembly in governments across the world.

This is an image that was taken as the captives from the East Bloc flowed into West Germany and reunited with their many friends and family members that they had not seen since the wall was constructed. The Berlin Wall was built starting on August 13, 1961, but an even more monumental event was when it was torn down on November 9, 1989. Throughout the entirety of the Cold War, residents of East Berlin, were trapped” in a sense they were kept as an entire country of political prisoners.

The Berlin Wall was originally a source of division in Europe for the Cold War. The East Berlin region announced that citizens would be able to cross the border into Western Europe. The dismantling of the wall had major significance because it reinstalled the peace between West and East Europe that wasn’t there for over 40 years. Ronald Reagan even encouraged the Soviet Union leader, Gorbachev, to bring down the wall in 1987 and many Americans believed that his speech impacted the tearing down of wall. The dismantling signified the reinstallation of human rights for those that were stuck in the border for years.

Comparative politics is the empirical comparative study of political systems. It involves the classification and comparison of institutions - ‘a rule that has been institutionalised’ (Lane and Ersson, 1999: 23) - in order to determine the nature of political regimes. The study of comparative politics has come to be guided by three major research schools: rational choice theory, culturalist analysis and structuralist approaches; each of which spearhead a distinctive notion over what about institutions affects the nature of the political process. Rationalists are methodological individualists who assert that

Democracy for many years has been trumpeted and hailed by many as the best way a government can truly reflect, respect and represent her citizens. Having a great deal

This democracy gives (almost) everyone the freedom of speech and to have a role in the government.

The Oxford Dictionary defines politics as the activities associated with the governance of a country or area, especially the debate between parties having power. Comparative politics is the interdisciplinary study of how power is organized across time and space. It connects the operation of power across multiple time and spatial scales and identifies the similarities and differences of how power operates across space and time.

There were two famous speeches given at the Berlin wall about freedom, taking down the wall, and bringing East and West Berlin together once again. One of these speeches was president John F. Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech. It was given June 26, 1963. The other speech was Ronald Reagan's address from the Brandenburg Gate. This was given later on June 12, 1987. Reagan's speech was more effect than Kennedy's because it had many good points that Kennedy didn't have, spoke to the Berliners, and Kennedy's speech wasn't enough. It didn't do anything since it was at the beginning of the Cold War. Nobody wanted to listen to Kennedy. They did not tear down the wall. After Reagan's speech they did.

If the democracy will spread more, then naturally the freedom also becomes a general value

Democracy: A political system in which citizens enjoy a number of basic civil and political rights, and in which their most important political leaders are elected in free and fair elections and accountable under a rule of law (26). In the studies we have undertaken, comparing and exploring various countries and systems politically, economically, and psychologically throughout the quarter, this outcry of democracy has prevailed as a main theme. Successful countries such as the United States and Great Britain are based upon such democratic ideals. It is no wonder that countries have striven more recently toward this goal of democratization. Both the Russian and Mexican revolutions prove that democracy is an attainable goal in the next

enrollment that was just 51 in 1945 has ascended to 155. This demonstrates that there is almost a triple augmentation in the number of States. Every one of the States are anxious to affirm their enthusiasm for international relations. Along these lines, worldwide relations of today are truly international in character since every one of the States demand taking an interest actively. Hence, the extension and nature of international politics has totally changed. It has turned out to be profoundly perplexing and entangled.

There is a statistical difference in the current level of democracy between North and South Africa.

Democracy has become the most widespread political form of government during the past decade, after the fall of all its alternatives. During the second part of the 20th century, the 3 main enemies of democracy, namely communism, fascism and Nazism, lost most of their power and influence. However, democracy is still only to be found in less than half of this world's countries. China with a fifth of the total population "had never experienced a democratic government" and Russia still doesn't have a well established democracy. By adopting a democratic perspective, 3 types of governments emerge, non-democratic, new democracies, and old democracies, and all have a different challenge to overcome: either to become democratic, to "consolidate"

Throughout history different types of instrumental regimes have been in tact so civilizations remained structured and cohesive. As humanity advanced, governments obligingly followed. Although there have been hiccups from the ancient times to modern day, one type of government, democracy, has proven to be the most effective and adaptive. As quoted by Winston Churchill, democracy is the best form of government that has existed. This is true because the heart of democracy is reliant, dependent, and thrives on the populaces desires; which gives them the ability for maintaining the right to choose, over time it adjusts and fixes itself to engulf the prominent troubling issues, and people have the right of electing the person they

11/9/89: The Berlin Wall for many years served as a barrier between West Berlin and East Germany. It prevented a global view of the future as well by forcing the population of East Germany to be totally secluded from the rest of the world. The fall of the Berlin wall on 11/9/89 changed everything. Not only did this weaken communism, it tipped the balance of power across the world towards democratic advocacy, consensual governance and a free-market economy. The effect was