During my college days when I studied political science (and even later in life), what fascinated me most while going through various constitutions in the world, was the US system of ‘checks and balances’ to ensure maximum freedom in all aspects of American life. There have been challenges in the past (and present) but somehow this provision helps the US triumph over odds.
Interestingly, ‘Separation of Powers’, a term coined by French political Enlightenment thinker Baron de Montesquieu, is a model for the governance of democratic states.
Montesquieu’s two most important works are The Persian Letters and The Spirit of Laws. These works share certain themes — most notably a fascination with non-European societies and a horror of despotism.
There is an interesting discussion here…
And it is always good to jog our memories…
I don’t want to bore you further…There is an interesting article in the San Francisco Chronicle about the light at the end of the tunnel…that checks and balances have finally returned in the USA’s capital after six years of one-party rule.
“The shift in power has made it impossible for the White House to control a series of scandals in recent weeks, from the mistreatment of injured soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to the controversial firings of eight federal prosecutors.
“The change was clear the day after the Nov. 7 elections, when Bush dismissed Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Democrats had called for Rumsfeld’s dismissal for years, but it was the voters’ clearly expressed anger over the Iraq war that forced the move.
“In recent weeks, the controversies have snowballed, prompting the usually assertive White House to play defense…”
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.