China-Int'l Democracy Forum/Former Italian PM
Beijing, China - March 20, 2024 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Third International Forum on Democracy in progress
2. Attendees
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Massimo D'Alema, former Italian Prime Minister:
"As politics, which remain confined to a national dimension, is suffocated by the power of global capitalism, the motivations for democratic participation are reduced, as it's happening in so much of the Western country. And phenomena of populism and irrationality spread, leading to political instability and the decay of the ruling classes."
4. Attendees
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Massimo D'Alema, former Italian Prime Minister:
"Democracy thus proves to be more than a model to be exported. A value to be rebuilt in our own societies through public policies capable of reestablishing a primacy of politics over economics, and imposing effective remedies to inequality and social injustice, and limitation to overpowering power of money, which or the more so through the control of modern media, appears increasingly capable of manipulating and conditioning political opinions themselves. The risk is, as Joseph Stiglitz wrote a few years ago, of moving from the glorious season in which the democratic principle was 'one head, one vote' to the new principle of 'one dollar, one vote'."
6. Attendees
Former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema has issued a stark warning that global capitalism is eroding democratic participation, urging a fundamental overhaul of democratic principles in an era increasingly defined by populism and irrationality.
D'Alema shared his insights at the third International Forum on Democracy: The Shared Human Values, which took place in Beijing this Wednesday. The forum drew together an illustrious assembly of scholars and senior officials for extensive discussions on modern democracy.
In his poignant address to more than 200 international attendees, D'Alema stressed the critical need for democracies worldwide to evolve in response to the sweeping changes brought about by global capitalism and the advent of the digital age.
He called for a shift in focus from economic dominance to political engagement, emphasizing the necessity of adapting democratic ideals to contemporary challenges.
"As politics, which remain confined to a national dimension, is suffocated by the power of global capitalism, the motivations for democratic participation are reduced, as it's happening in so much of the Western country. And phenomena of populism and irrationality spread, leading to political instability and the decay of the ruling classes," D'Alema observed.
He delved into the diminishing credibility and appeal of the Western democratic model, pinpointing the erosion of consensus as a fundamental challenge to democratic compromise within Western societies.
Referencing Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, D'Alema underscored the threat posed to Western democracy by the dominance of economic interests over political governance.
"Democracy thus proves to be more than a model to be exported. A value to be rebuilt in our own societies through public policies capable of reestablishing a primacy of politics over economics, and imposing effective remedies to inequality and social injustice, and limitation to overpowering power of money, which or the more so through the control of modern media, appears increasingly capable of manipulating and conditioning political opinions themselves. The risk is, as Joseph Stiglitz wrote a few years ago, of moving from the glorious season in which the democratic principle was 'one head, one vote' to the new principle of 'one dollar, one vote'," said D'Alema.
China-Int'l Democracy Forum/Former Italian PM
Dateline : March 20, 2024
Location : China
Duration : 1'54
Beijing, China - March 20, 2024 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Third International Forum on Democracy in progress
2. Attendees
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Massimo D'Alema, former Italian Prime Minister:
"As politics, which remain confined to a national dimension, is suffocated by the power of global capitalism, the motivations for democratic participation are reduced, as it's happening in so much of the Western country. And phenomena of populism and irrationality spread, leading to political instability and the decay of the ruling classes."
4. Attendees
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Massimo D'Alema, former Italian Prime Minister:
"Democracy thus proves to be more than a model to be exported. A value to be rebuilt in our own societies through public policies capable of reestablishing a primacy of politics over economics, and imposing effective remedies to inequality and social injustice, and limitation to overpowering power of money, which or the more so through the control of modern media, appears increasingly capable of manipulating and conditioning political opinions themselves. The risk is, as Joseph Stiglitz wrote a few years ago, of moving from the glorious season in which the democratic principle was 'one head, one vote' to the new principle of 'one dollar, one vote'."
6. Attendees
Former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema has issued a stark warning that global capitalism is eroding democratic participation, urging a fundamental overhaul of democratic principles in an era increasingly defined by populism and irrationality.
D'Alema shared his insights at the third International Forum on Democracy: The Shared Human Values, which took place in Beijing this Wednesday. The forum drew together an illustrious assembly of scholars and senior officials for extensive discussions on modern democracy.
In his poignant address to more than 200 international attendees, D'Alema stressed the critical need for democracies worldwide to evolve in response to the sweeping changes brought about by global capitalism and the advent of the digital age.
He called for a shift in focus from economic dominance to political engagement, emphasizing the necessity of adapting democratic ideals to contemporary challenges.
"As politics, which remain confined to a national dimension, is suffocated by the power of global capitalism, the motivations for democratic participation are reduced, as it's happening in so much of the Western country. And phenomena of populism and irrationality spread, leading to political instability and the decay of the ruling classes," D'Alema observed.
He delved into the diminishing credibility and appeal of the Western democratic model, pinpointing the erosion of consensus as a fundamental challenge to democratic compromise within Western societies.
Referencing Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, D'Alema underscored the threat posed to Western democracy by the dominance of economic interests over political governance.
"Democracy thus proves to be more than a model to be exported. A value to be rebuilt in our own societies through public policies capable of reestablishing a primacy of politics over economics, and imposing effective remedies to inequality and social injustice, and limitation to overpowering power of money, which or the more so through the control of modern media, appears increasingly capable of manipulating and conditioning political opinions themselves. The risk is, as Joseph Stiglitz wrote a few years ago, of moving from the glorious season in which the democratic principle was 'one head, one vote' to the new principle of 'one dollar, one vote'," said D'Alema.
ID : 8368714
Published : 2024-03-21 14:38
Last Modified : 2024-03-21 17:15:35
Source : China Global Television Network (CGTN)
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
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