“Flourishing democracy takes root in South Africa”
The document which I’ve chosen was the article “Flourishing democracy takes root in South Africa” published in 2004 by Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations for National Security Studies. He is a contributing editor to The Weekly Standard and a weekly columnist for the Los Angeles Times.
I was interested in this article, because as we said in introduction, it would be not bad to see the economical, social and especially political state of this country after nearly 15 years since the apartheid has been abolished. I liked the way of presenting the subject. The document is clear enough, shows all the negative and positive points of the present situation in South Africa.
It is really impressive the way the South Africa chose to pursue in its development. This is the country which found the possibilities to come from the darkness of apartheid regime to the flourishing economy and democracy only for 15 years. Let’s see how the after-apartheid government was proceeding like. Firstly and mainly, it is the only postcolonial country where whites haven't been hounded out of. May be for somebody such reaction could seem unnatural and strange. But it is the base of Nelson Mandela’s spirit which is non violence. Secondly, the wealth of whites wasn’t redistributed to the oppressed masses. Instead, the South Africa fixed on the economic growth. And as the result it was achieved very soon. Now we observe the democratical State, where all the citizens have the rights and liberties, everyone can express himself and his point of view.
But, it is also important to say that South Africa has at the today time some really big problems, such as AIDS and crime and the great inequalities between riches and poors, cities and villages. All this represents a disaster for The South Africa, being natural consequences of the past. So why with a success of democratical policy and flourishing economy the inequality hasn’t gone? Is it political, social or cultural default? Or may be just ten years is only beginning? Anyway, we call the post apartheid period as “South African miracle”, and it is just impossible to develop and grow without some weak places of it.
Gulmira KULPEISSOVA