Reply #16: The influence of citizens on their governments is limited, but exists in democracies [View All]

[LeftishBrit]

Leaders depend on their citizens' votes. Of course, results and thus the power of the citizens can be distorted by the electoral system. An extreme first-past-the-post system (UK), and a leader can get a large majority in parliament with a minority of the votes: a Thatcher can radically change the country with 42% of the popular vote; a Blair can go into Iraq when a large majority of the population opposes it. An extreme pure-PR system (Israel), and small parties have disproportionate power to hold weak minority-governments hostage; and an Avigdor Lieberman can become Foreign Minister despite the fact that most people did not vote for such an outcome.

But it was the power of citizens in general, and specific organized groups - not so much pressure from other countries - that led to fairer treatment of workers and an end to some particularly vile forms of exploitation; sex and race discrimination laws; etc. in many countries.

As regards Israel in particular: I do not think that cultural isolation would work, even if I thought it were practicable and justified. Many Israelis have a fundamentally isolationist attitude: "fuck the rest of the world; they don't understand or care about our situation at best, and want to kill us at worst; we can't trust them and must defend ourselves without regard to what others think!" I am not saying that this attitude is justifiable; I am just saying that it exists, and that it's likely to be exacerbated by cultural isolation.

The two things that can make a difference are:

(1) Carrots and sticks, used in the direction of peace rather than war, from the one country with which Israel does have a strong alliance: the United States.

(2) A concerted, tough but non-violent, push for formal agreements, and at the same time willingness to abide by their own side of such an agreement, by the Palestinian leadership. (As worked between Egypt and Israel). This is unfortunately difficult as long as the Palestinian leadership is so divided.