Are all the democracies of the world identical? Do they all follow the same model? Is there such thing as one-size-fits-all democracy? One does not need to be a political scientisto know that the answer to each of these three questions is a clear NO! Therefore, the compelling question should be: what makes countries as different from each other as the United States of America on one hand and the Republic of Venezuela on the other be regarded as democracies?
The common denominator of these countries governing models as well as those adopted in France. Germany, Italy (republics), Britain, Spain and Japan (monarchies) and Turkey (Isamic) can be found in the very meaning of the word democracy: popular government.
And talking about Turkey and its democracy, as precarious as it may be, we see how an Islamic country can implement a democratic model of governance and despite all the impedements evolves to the status of being considered for admission to the democratic families of the European Union.
The next obvious question would be: If Turkey could make it, why not Iran? Are the Turks any less Mulsim than us Iranian? Certainly not! So what made it possible for Turkey to pull itself up the ladder of democratic evolution and we in Iran appear to be falling down this ladder. Back in June this year we were at the brink of a major breakthorugh. But where are we now and why?
The Turkish democracy owes its existence and continuation largely, and ironically, to one factor: The Turkish army. The army in Turkey has been a guarantor of the Turkish democracy.The army is there to ensure that no competing factions, be it nationalists, Islamists or Socialists undermine the tenets of the Turkish democracy. Could we hope that the Islamic Revolutioanry Guards Corps would one day soon follow the model of their Turkish counterparts? That day may not be too far away.
