Western organizations tend to use a single set of criteria to evaluate the electoral processes and the sundry aspects of the democracy and human rights situations in various non-Western countries. Many consumers of those ratings give no second thought to this practice, implicitly believing that everybody should be like “us.” Some, however, like Stephen White of the University of Glasgow, label this point of view “values imperialism” (Vestnik-MGIMO, 2014). Whereas, those subjected to a one-size-fits-all evaluations scheme tend to grumble against it but, at times, grudgingly follow the evaluators’ suggestions. These non-Western governments often do so out of a desire …read more
Source: The Jamestown Foundation