Skip to main content

Manifesto against democratic 'deficit' and capitalist Westphalian nation state

Trump, Modi, Erdoğan, Johnson, Bolsonaro
By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* 
What is happening to democracies across the globe? Democratic deficit, neoliberalism and rise of authoritarianism moving together by dismantling social harmonies and states… The rise of Donald Trump in USA, Narendra Modi in India, Boris Johnson in United Kingdom, Erdoğan in Turkey, Jair Messias Bolsonaro in Brazil and many others are not only examples of the symptoms but also the results of democratic deficits in the world today.
The local, national and international politics is driven by ethnic, racial and religious conflicts in Asia, Africa Americas, Europe and Middle East. These populist upheavals did not change the old-world order rather reinforcing it more vigorously.
God, national glory, lawlessness, vulgar wealth and huge inequalities are five common features between old and modern world. It creates the foundation for reactionary nationalism and authoritarian capitalism across the globe. Democracy and states have become tools of such a dangerous worldwide process.
The pioneers of globalisation and lovers of free market argued that it will bring peace and prosperity by ending war and conflicts. They also argued that it will help in the growth and establishment of vibrant and multicultural democracies.
But in reality, globalisation has expanded the conflicts and old world inequalities. Rich became richer and poor became poorer. The class, gender, race, caste and regional fault lines continue to grow under capitalism.
The neoliberal capitalist project outmanoeuvred the ideal alternatives of October revolution, French revolution and promises of anti-colonial struggles. And all idealisms are in downward spiral now. How do we analyse these upheavals? Is it a sign of end of Westphalian nation state?
It is impossible to offer alternatives for a better tomorrow without understanding present predicaments and its history.

The lineages and transformations

The democratic deficit of the state is embedded with history of capitalist Westphalian nation state. The peace Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 consolidated capitalism by establishing nation states based on the idea of territorial sovereignty. It helped to end thirty years of savagely war in Europe. It also helped Europe to plunder the world with colonial rule in different parts of the world.
The resources of the colonies were used to establish different institutions of economic development and democratic governance in Europe. Therefore, Westphalian states are innately colonial, capitalist and authoritarian by nature but dressed up as democracy. The referendum results and debates over Britain leaving European Union (EU) is a classic example of democratic deficit and its relationship with European capitalism led by EU.
The post-colonial states emerged after the success of anticolonial struggles. The post-colonial states promised democratic governance based on ideals of liberty, equality, justice and welfare of all its citizens. The anticolonial struggles had positive influence on European states.
It transformed the nature of state in Europe by making them more democratic, secular and multicultural in terms of citizenship rights with welfare orientations. But the neoliberal Washington consensus led to the universalisation of neoliberal welfare state by ending ideals of democratic, and welfare state.
Vox Populi and Vox Dei are replaced by capitalist order, market and money dominate every social, economic, political, cultural and religious sphere
The centralisation and securitisation of state became order of the day to uphold the interests of the private capital which grown enormously after the implementation of neoliberal policies of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation.
We live in a world today where Vox Populi, Vox Dei (the voice of the people is the voice of God) is replaced by the order of the capitalism where market and money dominates every social, economic, political, cultural and religious sphere. It is within this context; democracy and state face challenges from capitalist world system accelerated by Westphalian ideals.
Neoliberal authoritarianism emanates from such a political and economic project that creates a culture of democratic deficit and unreliable state. The legitimacy crisis of state creates the vacuums where ruling and non-ruling elites control the masses and all resources with the help of securitised, centralised and authoritarian state.
The ideological narrative of neoliberalism was based on individual freedom but in reality, we live in a society today where people are in free prisons of market where prices are independent and free. It means the dead capital is free and lively labour in captives.

The quest for alternatives manifesto

The crisis created by democratic deficit, neoliberal authoritarianism and rise of reactionary right wing politics is a global phenomenon. Local and national contexts are important in search of alternatives but the current political and economic crisis needs international solutions. It is imperative to develop pluriversal praxis that is applicable to the world today.
  • The first step is to dismantle the structures of Westphalian capitalist state system and all its affiliated supranational and international organisations. This is only possible by creating solidarity of all grassroot movements for alternative democracy for peace, environment, development and prosperity as inalienable citizenship rights. It is important to have continuous solidarity of struggles to develop conditions for non-discriminatory and pluriversal and inalienable rights based on progressive and scientific thoughts.
  • The second step is to develop conditions where local communities can control and manage their local resources based on their needs and desires with egalitarian distributive mechanisms. 
  • The third step is to develop local, national and international struggles against all conflicts, wars and industries affiliated with it including nuclear weapons. Defence industry creates wars to expand its profits. 
  • The fourth one is continuous struggle against all forms of authoritarianism and all forms of discrimination in every sphere of life. 
  • The fifth one is about creating a decentralised, democratic, progressive and egalitarian state where individual rights and right to self-determination is inalienable. 

---

*With Coventry University, UK

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

Whither space for the marginalised in Kerala's privately-driven townships after landslides?

By Ipshita Basu, Sudheesh R.C.  In the early hours of July 30 2024, a landslide in the Wayanad district of Kerala state, India, killed 400 people. The Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Vellarimala and Chooralmala villages in the Western Ghats mountain range turned into a dystopian rubble of uprooted trees and debris.
Post a Comment
»

Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar’s views on religion as Tagore’s saw them

By Harasankar Adhikari   Religion has become a visible subject in India’s public discourse, particularly where it intersects with political debate. Recent events, including a mass Gita chanting programme in Kolkata and other incidents involving public expressions of faith, have drawn attention to how religion features in everyday life. These developments have raised questions about the relationship between modern technological progress and traditional religious practice.
Post a Comment
»

Election bells ringing in Nepal: Can ousted premier Oli return to power?

By Nava Thakuria*  Nepal is preparing for a national election necessitated by the collapse of KP Sharma Oli’s government at the height of a Gen Z rebellion (youth uprising) in September 2025. The polls are scheduled for 5 March. The Himalayan nation last conducted a general election in 2022, with the next polls originally due in 2027.  However, following the dissolution of Nepal’s lower house of Parliament last year by President Ram Chandra Poudel, the electoral process began under the patronage of an interim government installed on 12 September under the leadership of retired Supreme Court judge Sushila Karki. The Hindu-majority nation of over 29 million people will witness more than 3,400 electoral candidates, including 390 women, representing 68 political parties as well as independents, vying for 165 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives.
Post a Comment
»

Gig workers hold online strike on republic day; nationwide protests planned on February 3

By A Representative   Gig and platform service workers across the country observed a nationwide online strike on Republic Day, responding to a call given by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) to protest what it described as exploitation, insecurity and denial of basic worker rights in the platform economy. The union said women gig workers led the January 26 action by switching off their work apps as a mark of protest.
Post a Comment
»

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.
Post a Comment
»

With infant mortality rate of 5, better than US, guarantee to live is 'alive' in Kerala

By Nabil Abdul Majeed, Nitheesh Narayanan   In 1945, two years prior to India's independence, the current Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, was born into a working-class family in northern Kerala. He was his mother’s fourteenth child; of the thirteen siblings born before him, only two survived. His mother was an agricultural labourer and his father a toddy tapper. They belonged to a downtrodden caste, deemed untouchable under the Indian caste system.
Post a Comment
»

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra*  The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.
Post a Comment
»

Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb: Akbar to Shivaji -- the cross-cultural alliances that built India

​ By Ram Puniyani   ​What is Indian culture? Is it purely Hindu, or a blend of many influences? Today, Hindu right-wing advocates of Hindutva claim that Indian culture is synonymous with Hindu culture, which supposedly resisted "Muslim invaders" for centuries. This debate resurfaced recently in Kolkata at a seminar titled "The Need to Protect Hinduism from Hindutva."
Post a Comment
»

Report finds 28 communal riots, 14 mob lynching incidents targeting Muslims

By Syed Ali Mujtaba*  A study released by the Mumbai-based Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS), supported by data from India Hate Lab, documents incidents of violence and targeting of Muslims across India in 2025. The report compiles press accounts and fact-finding material to highlight broad trends in communal conflict, mob attacks, and hate speech.
Post a Comment
»