We hear pundits across the ideological spectrum warning of democracy's current crisis, though for people of color it has always been in crisis.
From a European perspective, however, both U.S. parties have been conservative since World War II (that is, both are on the right end of the spectrum of most modern parliamentary democracies), and at the same time, both parties have always been liberal, as inheritors of Enlightenment notions of citizens' rights, individual liberty and representative government.
Whereas the participative development of democracy embraces the broad spectrum of perspectives in decision-making, science in general, having a tradition to pursue the unanimity of the knowledge elites in scientific findings, requires accentuating its socio-political activity.
These qualities do not fit anywhere on the normal spectrum of choices in the greatest democracy on Earth.
The Copts stand to lose more than any other group in Egypt's current drift following the fall of an unpopular autocracy, and now face an uncertain future with a wide spectrum of possible outcomes, from a liberal democracy to an Islamic republic, or most likely of all, a continuation of army rule with different window-dressing.
Instead, they hurl themselves to the other side of the spectrum, becoming just as fanatically obsessed with the promotion of democracy, fighting their former extremist brethren – or selling their latest book.
This in turn leads to changes in the level of democracy on the autocratic- democratic regime spectrum, and forces the state to move towards harshly autocratic or open governance.
Brazil does not yet have the full, broad political spectrum of an arguably long-established and mature democracy.
Muslims are incapable of democracy.
