Jide Ajani
7 November 2008
This report merely draws a compact analogy between the 1992 work of Francis Fukuyama which drew rave reviews, where he argued that liberal democracy is the bus stop of human ideological evolution, and the way Barrack Hussein Obama, America's President-elect, rose to clinch the 44th presidency of that country; this, in spite of his African American ancestry.
It was Francis Fukuyama who wrote THE END OF HISTORY and The Last Man. When he wrote the book, he received criticism from some quarters where what he was saying was not understood.
But when Fukuyama wrote THE END OF HISTORY and The Last Man, he was merely, according to him, talking, about the imperative of liberal democracy and why it should be hailed as the ultimate which could not be improved upon.
The Obamas, the Clintons after historic victory
By way of introduction, Fukuyama wrote: "The distant origins of the present volume lie in an article entitled "The End of History?" which I wrote for the journal The National Interest in the summer of 1989. In it, I argued that a remarkable consensus concerning the legitimacy of liberal democracy as a system of government had emerged throughout the world over the past few years, as it conquered rival ideologies like hereditary monarchy, fascism, and most recently communism.
"More than that, however, I argued that liberal democracy may constitute the "end point of mankind's ideological evolution" and the "final form of human government," and as such constituted the "end of history."
That is, while earlier forms of government were characterised by grave defects and irrationalities that led to their eventual collapse, liberal democracy was arguably free from such fundamental internal contradictions.
This was not to say that today's stable democracies, like the United States, France, or Switzerland, were not without injustice or serious social problems. But these problems were ones of incomplete implementation of the twin principles of liberty and equality on which modern democracy is founded, rather than of flaws in the principles themselves.
"While some present-day countries might fail to achieve stable liberal democracy, and others might lapse back into other, more primitive forms of rule like theocracy or military dictatorship, the ideal of liberal democracy could not be improved on."
This should not be seen as an esoteric adventure but its essence should be located in what has just happened in the United States of America.
Here was a country which had been written off on account of its failing and failed economy. In fact, most people forgot what Winston Churchill had said about America as a nation which does the right thing. The eight year rule of George Bush had become a disaster of gargantuan proportions.
Thrust upon the nation was a 47 year old African American.
Many never gave him a chance to win.
Even the uneventful declaration he main in Illinois, Chicago, making his aspiration for the office known, captured the nondescript nature of what was about to hit America and Americans.
When he commenced campaigns, he made it clear to his campaign organization that he wanted three things to be done.
Firstly, he made it clear that he wanted funds.
Secondly, he said he would not want members of his campaign office sniping at one another in public.
Thirdly, Obama told his campaign team that he would want the campaign to be grassroots-based, bottom up.
These three points, looked at critically, encompasses the spirit of liberal democracy. And although Fukuyama did not expound on this, the trajectory being attempted here is the fact that funds would continue to be the vehicle of election campaigns, especially when channeled for effectiveness.
Obama got the funds, shattering records in the process, a whopping $750 million.
Secondly, arguments occur in a democratic setting, especially in the face of commitment and zeal to achieve the ultimate.
The difference between blind progressivism and liberal democracy or other forms of governance is that each person in the box appreciates the other's position on issues, especially, appreciating that the one and the other are pursuing the same ideals. This was done by Obama and his Campaign Manager, David Pluff, effectively.
The third and most crucial aspect of liberal democracy is the fact that it is people oriented. The people have to decide on which direction they want to go. You do not impose on the people ideals that do not create a synch with their aspiration.
However, in actualizing this 'end of history', Obama brought fresh and ingenious ideas to the table.
Some may argue that the economy played into the hands of the Democrats, even without the economy kissing the dust, Obama's ascendancy as a result of his approach to the campaigns created a new reality that politics, for whatever anyone would say, could still operate within the confines of dignity.
What Obama has helped America prove to the world is that liberal democracy, after all said and done, is THE END OF HISTORY, a la Fukuyama.
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