1. 1. What’s good about democracy? 2. Evaluate arguments for and against universal suitability of democracy.

3. 1. Prevent famine (Sen). ◦ Case of Niger? 2. Democracies do not conduct mass killings of citizens. 3. (Liberal) democracies do not fight one another. ◦ Institutional reasons: controls on war decisions. ◦ Normative reasons: used to nonviolent dispute resolution. Amartya Sen

4. 1. If you believe that human freedom is a good thing, democracy provides it. Authoritarian regimes do not. “Liberal autocracy” no longer feasible. 2. Being prevented from social and political participation is a “major deprivation”.

6.  Universal value does not mean universal consent.  Instead, a value that people anywhere may have reason to see as valuable.  Wherever democracy has been introduced and then overthrown, massive protests against its demise.

7.  PRO: Asian cultures value order, responsibility, allegiance to state over individualized freedoms.  Democracy and individual rights would undermine values and disrupt society.  CON: Selective interpretation of Confucian and Western philosophies (Sen). ◦ Eastern and Western texts both include elements of democracy, liberalism, and authoritarianism.

8.  PRO: Cultural beliefs crash against the principles of equal individual rights and universal citizenship.  CON: ◦ There are many interpretations of Islam. ◦ What is a “cohesive community”? Is there ever no dissent? ◦ Democracy can have varying approaches to individual rights (Diamond).

9.  PRO: Need different rights that apply to different citizen groups depending on religion or ethnicity of citizens involved.  CON: ◦ Liberal democracy typically includes minority rights to protect various communities. (e.g. Canada) ◦ India exactly this kind of society, but sustains democracy.

10.  PRO: Authoritarian governments can provide economic goods (including food) more efficiently than democratic governments.  CON: ◦ Poor people benefit from ability to voice complaints and protest (Sen). ◦ Very little evidence that poor people reject democracy once instituted (Sen). ◦ Scant evidence that authoritarian regimes provide economic goods better than democracies.