The discussion on the "roots" of democracy and other political values among Classicists in the US and Europe at the end of the twentieth century should be viewed from a geopolitical point of view. The word ‘democracy’ plays an ambivalent role in the work of geopolitical writers at the end of the twentieth century. Its traditional use as a source of universal expectations and as a revolutionary slogan becomes a hindrance when cultural, ethnic, or even religious distinctions are introduced as political parameters. The democratic tradition is called into question when concepts such as civilization, religion or race are incorporated anew in a geopolitical and purportedly democratic point of view. This essay aims to recall some views on the origins of democracy held by classicists and the role of this appeal in the work of geopolitical thinkers in the United States after the end of the Cold War.
The 'Western' Roots of Democracy: A Geopolitical Dilemma
Paulo Butti de Lima
2022-01-01
Abstract
The discussion on the "roots" of democracy and other political values among Classicists in the US and Europe at the end of the twentieth century should be viewed from a geopolitical point of view. The word ‘democracy’ plays an ambivalent role in the work of geopolitical writers at the end of the twentieth century. Its traditional use as a source of universal expectations and as a revolutionary slogan becomes a hindrance when cultural, ethnic, or even religious distinctions are introduced as political parameters. The democratic tradition is called into question when concepts such as civilization, religion or race are incorporated anew in a geopolitical and purportedly democratic point of view. This essay aims to recall some views on the origins of democracy held by classicists and the role of this appeal in the work of geopolitical thinkers in the United States after the end of the Cold War.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
