Saturday, May 26, 2012
Democratic Renewal
When UK whistleblower Katherine Gunn exposed the Blair government's collusion in defrauding the UN Security Council in the run-up to the US/UK invasion of Iraq, the evidence was reviewed by the Office of Serious Fraud, whose name immediately caught my attention. Today, as state legitimacy is being challenged daily on all continents by Occupy, Spring, and other incarnations of social dissatisfaction, serious fraud as an entrenched system of rule deserves further investigation. As we seek a path to more authentic societies worldwide, attacking fraud in governance seems like a good way to go.
While it's easy to become complacent about such a pervasive corruption of public process, there is no way forward in addressing the myriad crises we face as long as public institutions and private markets respond to all challenges with fraudulent public relations and coverups. As such, the most effective weapon in the pro-democracy arsenal is investigative research, which lays the groundwork for education, organizing and action. Maintaining independence in this effort is the only way to prevent corruption of that process.
Since most states are stuck in a system of serious fraud, coming unstuck is now the task of indigenous nations and civil society networks, whose authenticity serves as a model for democratic renewal.
While it's easy to become complacent about such a pervasive corruption of public process, there is no way forward in addressing the myriad crises we face as long as public institutions and private markets respond to all challenges with fraudulent public relations and coverups. As such, the most effective weapon in the pro-democracy arsenal is investigative research, which lays the groundwork for education, organizing and action. Maintaining independence in this effort is the only way to prevent corruption of that process.
Since most states are stuck in a system of serious fraud, coming unstuck is now the task of indigenous nations and civil society networks, whose authenticity serves as a model for democratic renewal.
