Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Why Liberal Democracy is a Threat to Nigeria's Stability

for a really productive discussion, moses's piece ought to be debated. he is being provocative in the title, since in the end it is still democracy, albeit adjusted to nigeria's context, that he advocates. we seem stuck between variants of imperfect democracy and autocracy in africa today. i hate the autocracy, but agree entirely w moses that democracy is not a one-size-fits-all solution. moses takes us closer to a federated version with more distribution of power. he is troubled by the elections, advocates for a parliamentary system. this is sort of adjusting the knobs, not a radical change, but it opens a needed debate. the one thing left out, i think, is how any models within the nation will comport with extra-national relations, or even larger political structures like the AU. i don't believe internal reforms can really solve a great deal in today's global neoliberal world, but that said, some african countries seem to have better or worse solutions. an example of worse is burundi. but the better is more difficult. i'd vote for senegal, say, over cameroon, or ghana over guinea, as models.i would have shouted for burkina, but now it is yet another saharan victim of the al qaeda groups, and breathes, like mali, with french military support.

how can we debate democracy under these conditions?

ken

kenneth harrow

professor emeritus

dept of english

michigan state university

517 803-8839

harrow@msu.edu

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From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Moses Ebe Ochonu <meochonu@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2019 4:38:15 PM
To: USAAfricaDialogue
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Why Liberal Democracy is a Threat to Nigeria's Stability

 

My article titled "Why Liberal Democracy is a Threat to Nigeria's Stability" has been published in Logos: A Journal of Modern Society and Culture. See the link below. I use the recent general elections in Nigeria as a springboard to interrogate and critique Nigeria's (and Africa's) troubled experiment with liberal democracy. Feedback welcome.

http://logosjournal.com/2019/liberal-democracy-is-a-threat-to-nigerias-stability/

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