Who would you vote for as President of the World?
Firstly, I wouldn’t vote for this idea because I really think it’s the wrong way to go. My perception of power is that it will never be just if it is absolute. We need a balance of power.
Can terrorism destroy democracy?
What we have seen recently, especially in the wake of 9/11, is the loss of civic democratic rights as a direct result of terrorism. In trying to fight terrorism in this way, democratic states actually allow terrorism to undermine the whole democratic system.
Who rules the world?
I don’t believe in these paranoid conspiracies that declare the world to be ruled by a select few invisible powers. I think that there are powers that are visible and those that are less visible. Economic and trans-national organisations hold a huge amount of power which is not necessarily spoken of in the public arena. The media is also very powerful; they shape opinions and can change the minds of so many people in a very short period of time.
Why bother to vote?
I think it’s a responsibility and also a way to change things. Of course we may have the impression that we are powerless when after having voted for someone there is often no way to direct government policies. But I think civic participation in politics is very important. I think too often we only speak of civic rights and forget about civic responsibility and commitment.
Are women more democratic than men?
I don’t like this binary understanding of reality, men on one side and women on the other. We have very democratic women as we have very democratic men. I really think it’s a question of indication, understanding and involvement rather then gender.
Is democracy good for everyone?
I think if we are consistent with the values and the principles then democracy should be good for everyone. At the end of the day we are talking about rule of law, equal citizenship for men and women, black and white. So it should be. But today the democratic models are far from perfect, so for those who base their view of democracy on those acting systems democracy cannot be good for everyone.
What would make you start a revolution?
Many things actually, but first I would say if my human dignity was not being respected. If in the name of any kind of political or economic system I see people not being treated as human beings, torturing for example. The normalizing of torture would make me think we need to do something to change this, we need a re-evolution: a revolution.
Are dictators ever good?
No, never, never good. I really think that a dictatorship should be something in our minds, in our understanding, as totally unacceptable. At the end of the day, there is never such a thing as an enlightened democracy as we have heard in certain philosophies, particularly Russian philosophies. The idea of an open minded dictator benignly leading the people is for me dangerous, even if it begins with the best intentions.
Can democracy solve climate change?
I’m not sure that on such ethical issues democracy would be the best solution. Climate change is a message sent for the people in charge of current affairs to make some changes to our ways of life, especially in the Western societies. And I’m quite sure that there will be no change in our society if we only follow what the people want. People can be very selfish in the way that they deal with things and I think that we sometimes need to make unpopular decisions involving sacrifices in order to save the planet.
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