...I believe that democracy within countries is not enough, what we need is democracy among nations, in other words we need the democratisation of the globalisation, the democratisation of
international relations. Otherwise national democracy will lose its power because tomorrow the problems of a nation will not be solved at the national level but at an international or continental level.
Who would you vote for as President of the World?
You have to find somebody who is young but at the same time you have to have somebody who has an image, and for me the man who has a real image is Nelson Mandela.
Why bother to vote?
I believe that this is related to a culture of democracy. If we explain to the people the importance of their participation in the political life of their country, they will be encouraged to vote, to participate in the elections, but if they don’t know or if they have the impression
that they are not influencing the policy of their own country, then they will not be interested in participating in the elections.
Can terrorism destroy democracy?
I don’t believe so. I believe that terrorism has been very much exaggerated and that democracy has the way to contain terrorism. But if you are fighting terrorism or an insurrection in a country, it would be very difficult to defend democracy or the protection of human rights. There is a basic contradiction between the war against terrorism and the protection of human rights and the development and promotion of democracy.
Who rules the world?
I believe for the time being there is only one super power since the end of the Cold War.
Are women more democratic tan men?
It depends on the education, it depends on the culture, it depends on the fact that in a great part of the world fifty percent of the population are illiterate and women are more illiterate than men in certain parts of the world. So it depends. You cannot have a general rule. If you have the same education between men and women, I believe that women may be more interested in politics than men.
Is God democratic?
You ask me a very difficult question! I believe that God is in favour of peace, of conciliation among nations, so if democracy will help to promote peace, cooperation, development, then God will be in favour of democracy.
Is democracy good for everyone?
Again, it depends. If I am not able to find enough money to sustain my family, I will not be interested in democracy. To obtain democracy, we must have a minimum of economic development and social development. Yes democracy is good for everyone, but you have different kinds of democracy – if you have a population which is illiterate you will have a different democracy than in a country where the population is very sophisticated. There is a difference between democracy in a rich country and in a very poor country. The socio-economic background is a very important element for the democratisation of a country.
What would make you start a revolution?
I am at an age at which I don’t believe that I would be able to start a revolution any more.
Are dictators ever good?
By definition dictators are not good, but when you see the case of certain vain states in which there is no administration, no army, a minimum of authority, then you will say that a dictator is better than a vain state.
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