What is 21st Century Socialism?

Joel D. HirstInternational Affairs Fellow in Residence

Council on Foreign Relations

Call it What you Will…

“Illiberal Democracy” – Dr. Bruce Bagley, Miami U.“Dictatorship with Popular Support” – Juan Bosch,

President of Dominican Republic“Post-Democratic Model” – Norberto Ceresole

“21st Century Socialism” – Heinz Dieterich“Popular and Protagonist Democracy” – Bolivarian

Alliance Countries

Guiding PrinciplesCurrent World Order New World OrderMotto: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

Motto: Fatherland, Socialism or Death

Universality of Rights Trumps All

National Sovereignty Trumps All

Political ModelRepresentative Democracy Legitimacy of government derived from

the consent of the governed demonstrated through period elections of representatives

Opposition must be nurtured and protected

Separation of powers Hard (legal) separation between

government, party and state Political tolerance Term limits for the executive Professional/non-partisan civil service

administrating the nation for the benefit of all

Increasingly transparent, decentralized governments more responsive to the people

Participatory and Protagonist Democracy Legitimacy of government derived from

the ongoing approval of the “permanent majorities” demonstrated through constant plebiscites or elections

Opposition must be destroyed “Separation of powers weakens the state” Blurring of the lines between government,

party and state Conflict serves to cement permanent

majorities Presidents for as long as the permanent

majority allow Partisan civil service at the service of the

revolution and the permanent majorities Centralized, secretive government

Approach to Human RightsCivil and Political Liberties Nucleus of hard rights: life,

speech, assembly, religion, property, fair judicial process

International treaties serve as guarantors of progressive rights (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, UN Declaration of Human Rights, etc.)

Rights are universal, progressive, irreversible and un-renounceable

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights The right to read is more

important than the right to speech, the right of a job is more important than assembly

International treaties are mechanisms of imperial control by the developed world to maintain their exploitation and domination of the poorest

Rights are subject to the will of the permanent majority via referenda

Economic ModelLiberal Economic Order Market based provision of the needs

and desires of a diverse citizenry State serves as a arbiter over disputes Pre-eminent right of private property Protection of intellectual property

rights Conflict resolution through

international mechanisms such as WTO, ICJ, international arbitration

Free trade agreements

Socialist Economy State responsible to provide for the

basic needs of the permanent majority

State is actively involved in service provision

Property not a right but a privilege granted by the state

Sovereignty above international rule of law, international arbitration is a mechanism of “imperial domination”

State cooperation for the provision of the basic needs of the permanent majority

Military DoctrineRules of War Geneva convention, International

Humanitarian Law and rules of war guarantee a world with decreasing conflict

Terrorism, irregular militias, arming of children, arming of the general population, and guerilla warfare are illegal and prosecutable by the ICC

Professional armed forces to “provide for the common defense” of the nation

Asymmetric Warfare Rules of war and International

Humanitarian Law are mechanisms of imperial control to wrest from the peripheral countries their only mechanisms of legitimate defense

Terrorism, militias and guerilla warfare are legitimate mechanisms of defense for peripheral countries, as Arafat once said, “give me an air force like Israel’s and I wouldn’t use terrorism”

Partisan armed forces at the service (internally and externally) of the revolution