

What Hausmann said is a traditional narrative on democracy –while Mr. Hermann has noted some formidable challenges that democracies are living with. Therefore, besides what Hermann has said I would like to some more points to support the issues raised by Mr. Hermann and request Mr. Hausmann take note of the following and produce another provocative article on democracy - that tops all human achievements-



1. According to Ian Bremmer, “United States now borrows about $4 billion per day, nearly half of that from China”.



2. In 2007, the United States’ economy was four times bigger than that of China, but in 2013, the gap is less than double. Today China is the world’s largest lender and the US - the largest borrower. The US debt has reached to the size of its economy.



When President Obama resumed office in 2009, its debt was some $9 trillion, but by the end of his first term, it had reached $15 trillion. By now, it is more than $ 17 trillion. A Federal Reserve data has admitted that the current economic recovery is the slowest since World War II.





China ‘s foreign exchange reserve is amounting some $3.8 trillion – bigger than the economy of Europe’s first and the world’s fourth largest economy – Germany.



3. China Development Bank and China Export-Import Bank offered loans of at least $110 billion to other developing country governments and companies in 2009 and 2010, while during the same period the loan commitments made by the World Bank was just some $100.3 billion.

4. Democracy to the size of a country like India and its complexities - is not more than a political miracle. The impressive economic achievement in its account is similarly astounding and exciting. However, when compared to China it has fared worst, although India’s geo-political location gives it far more strategic and economic advantage than China.

In economic and quality of life indicators, there is no match between India and China. By 2015, for example, China is going to eradicate extreme poverty from its territory, while India may take at least another 15 years for this.

5. Humphrey Hawksley – a leading BBC foreign policy correspondent and author, states that the development achievement of India “is at least a generation behind that of non democratic China, a neighboring country of comparable size and population.” Hawksley also reminds us that China began its modern journey two years later than India. The size of Chinese economy is nearly five times bigger than that of India.

6. In 2004, while one in five members of Indian parliament had criminal cases pending in the courts, but in 2009, about one third of them had such charges. If put into number 128 of the 545 members of India’s 14th parliament ,but in an election held five years later it reached 162. The greatest irony of Indian democracy in the words of former Chief Election Commissioner of India S.Y Quraishi, as quoted in the Washington Post is that – Those with criminal charges “are popular with voters”. Quraishi added, “I call it the Robin Hood syndrome. They take care to use their corrupt money, money that they get through illegal means, to give to the poor.”

7. Surprisingly, corruption is not limited to developing countries; On the beginning of last month, while introducing the – EU anti Corruption Report, Cecilia Malmstrom, the European commissioner for the home affairs admitted that corruption has hurt the European economy, “undermines citizens’ confidence in democratic institutions and the rule of law”.

Malmstrom further presenting the most conservative estimate claimed that the corruption annually costs Europe roughly some $162 billion. The majority of European believes that corruption has increased in their countries, Malmstrom admitted.

Lastly, as Mr. Hermann has also admitted powerful interest groups prevail in World’s most powerful country – and the most powerful democracy at the cost of common people.

