Bruce George
to receive information about their governments. Examples of countries that would fit those characteristics are countries that are not democracies. Dahl (1998, 95) explains the importance of citizens knowing about their government: The availability of alternative and relatively independent sources of information is required by several of the basic democratic criteria. Citizens must have access, then, to alternative sources of information that are not under control of the government or dominated by any other group or point of view. Countries such as Iran and North Korea would not allow their citizens to receive information about their government. In addition, those forms of governments would restrict access and rather give the citizens information when it is not true. Dahl is not the only one who writes about democracy. Samuel Huntington is a well-known author and is synonymous with democracy as well. Huntington wrote the book titled The Third Wave and studies transitions of over thirty countries that were nondemocratic and became a democracy. Huntington (1992, 4) also indentifies five changes that led to democracy. The five changes are: 1) the deepening legitimacy problems of authoritarian governments unable to cope with military defeat and economic failure; 2) the burgeoning economies of many countries, which have raised living standards, levels of education, and urbanization, while also raising civic expectations and the ability to express them; 3) changes in religious institutions which have made them more prone to oppose governmental authoritarianism than defend the status quo; 4) the push to promote human rights and democracy by external actors such as non-governmental organizations and the European Community; and 5) “the snowballing� or demonstration effects, enhanced by new international communications, of democratization in other countries� (scottlondon.com). According to Huntington, these changes are important if a country wants to be a democracy. Critics find the fourth idea that was mentioned relevant because human rights is important. Without human rights in a country, that country would not be able to function.
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