WASHINGTON – Over the past few years youth have been leading the charge in spreading democratic values around the globe.
From the Arab Spring in 2010 to the wave of protests through the Occupy Wall Street movement of 2011, cries of democracy have been ringing from all corners of the earth, sparked by the participation of the young generation.
With U.S. national security intertwined with the stability of other countries, the United States has openly supported their democratic efforts. The benefits to U.S. interests include a reduction in threats to the homeland, fewer refugees attempting to enter the United States and better economic partners for American trade and investment, according to a Harvard University paper by Sean M. Lynn-Jones.
But as demonstrated by the U.S. interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the seed of democratic ideologies has not grown as a result of U.S. pressure.
These crusaders for democracy must be that country’s citizens, such as Glanis Changachirere of Zimbabwe, Vera Kichanova of Russia, Gulalai Ismail of Pakistan and Rosa Paya of Cuba, who have set the stage of equality and fairness within their respective countries. Last month these women received the 2013 Democracy Award presented by the National Endowment for Democracy.
Living under authoritative governance, these four young women have been struggling for their fellow citizens’ rights, a battle that is far from over. These women are fighting for basic rights such as voting, protection against gender based violence and government transparency.
Vera Kichanova, a 22-year-old Russian journalist, has been arrested numerous times for her outspoken defense of democratic principles. She said the youth in Russia have finally begun to open their eyes.
“Most of the young people they are not interested in politics because they do not see the connection with what they call politics and what is happening in their lives,” said Kichanova at the award ceremony.
Young people generally had poor political participation, but now with the power of the internet, awareness can travel fast, she said. Since younger generations spend more time on social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, youth have become the key players in the fruition of these protests, movements and even uprisings.
The internet’s ability to gather critical masses has made it easy for people to rally together and speak their concerns, sometimes even create change like in Tunisia, Libya and Yemen.
This advantage has established youth as the leading force for political change, said Gulalai Ismail, who has lead the charge for women’s rights in Pakistan, where she founded and chairs a women’s empowerment organization.
“We used to say that young people are the future of their countries but now today young people are the present,” Ismail, 26, said.
But if these democratic values are to take root, the political systems of these countries must change, she said. The enduring effect of democracy depends on indigenous efforts because without a legitimate political framework, sustainability is not possible, she added.
Although the U.S. is the global beacon of democracy, their promotion of democratic ideology is more of a national issue than a humanitarian service. One senior U.S. official told CNN, “Maybe we should be having a greater discussion about the point that democracy is the absolute, but we are acting on our own national interests and we should be clear about them [in reference to the Arab Spring]. To say we are not doing that is disingenuous. We are not an NGO.”
