Birleşmiş Milletler ve Demokrasi Teşviki: Tarafsız Retorik Altında Liberalizm

Özellikle Soğuk Savaş’ın bitiminden itibaren Birleşmiş Milletler (BM) küresel demokrasi teşviki çabalarının önemli bir aktörü haline gelmiştir. BM, herhangi bir demokrasi modelini açıkça bir şekilde benimsemekten kaçındığından dolayı, BM’nin demokrasi teşviki faaliyetlerinde kâğıt üzerinde tarafsız bir retoriğin ortaya çıktığı söylenebilir. Ancak BM’nin farklı demokrasi modellerine yönelik takınmış olduğu tarafsızlık BM demokrasi teşvikinin içsel liberal yapısını gizlemeye yönelik basit bir çabadan öteye gitmemektedir. Niteliği itibariyle demokrasi, özünde tartışmalı bir kavramdır fakat Soğuk Savaş’ın bitimini takip eden süreçte demokrasinin özgü bir formu, yani liberal demokrasi, hegemonik bir statü elde etmiştir ve BM’nin demokrasi teşviki gündemi de bu yükselişten muaf değildir. Dolayısıyla bu makalenin temel amacı, tarafsız retoriğin aksine, hegemonik liberal demokrasinin BM demokrasi teşvikinde önemli yer tuttuğunu göstermektir. BM’nin liberalizme olan yatkınlığı hem UNDP’nin vermiş olduğu seçim desteğinde hem de seçimlerin düzenlenmesine ek olarak hedef ülkelerin ekonomilerinin pazar ekonomisi mekanikleri etrafında daha fazla şekillenmesi gibi çifte temel dayanağa sahip olan barış inşası operasyonlarında kendini gösterir.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Birleşmiş Milletler, Demokrasi Teşviki, Liberal Demokrasi, Demokrasinin Özünde Tartışmalılığı

United Nations and Democracy Promotion: Liberalism under the Guise of a Neutral Rhetoric

The United Nations (UN) has been one of the prominent actors of global democracy promotion efforts, particularly after the end of the Cold War. The UN refrains from openly espousing a certain model of democracy, hence the adoption of a neutral rhetoric by default. However, the UN’s neutrality towards different models of democracy is merely a thinly veiled attempt to disguise the inherent liberal character of its democracy promotion agenda. In its essence, democracy is an essentially contested concept, nevertheless, following the end of the Cold War, one specific interpretation of democracy, i.e. liberal democracy has reached a hegemonic status, and UN’s democracy promotion agenda has not been spared from this hegemony. Thus, this article’s main intent is to show that hegemonic liberal democracy features heavily within UN’s democracy promotion, which goes against its neutral rhetoric. The UN’s liberal tendency is visible both in UNDP electoral support and in peacebuilding operations which is based on the dual premise of conducting elections along with making target countries’ economies more market-friendly.

Keywords:

United Nations, Demcoracy Promotion, Liberal Democracy, Essential Contestability of Democracy,

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