The Democracy Myth

Last month we ran a strategic foresight workshop sponsored by NOREC for a group of government leaders from across the globe—Norway, Ethiopia, Colombia, Belarus, Lebanon, among others. The participants weren’t just culturally diverse; their political systems spanned a wide spectrum.

I came away with new insights about the myth of democracy and the persistent barriers to real partnership. For those working in this space, maybe this isn’t new. But it’s worth saying again.

Democracy itself is a myth.

When we bring countries together to build governance partnerships, this kind of reflection isn’t optional. Ethiopia’s relationship to government looks nothing like Norway’s. Nor does Belarus’s resemble Colombia’s. Were their systems homegrown or externally imposed? How much foreign interference have they navigated? Who makes up their populations? The answers to the questions matter. They shape not just the present, but what makes sense for the future. 

Leaders, especially in global cooperation efforts, need to be willing to acknowledge uncomfortable truths—about colonization, meddling, or even the privilege of being untouched by those forces. It’s only when we tell the full story that real partnership becomes possible.

Effective government requires long-term visioning beyond any single leader's term. I remember years ago running a three-day scenario workshop for government leaders across eastern and southern Africa, the workshop was in Addis Ababa at the African Union headquarters. The participants worked hard, at times trying to back out of the process that required them to constantly move tables and build on someone else’s vision. At one point there was a near revolt by participants saying they no longer wanted to move around and work on someone else’s vision. But I persisted. By the end of the session there was a clear awareness that as political leaders they need to build scaffolding so that the foundation they built, can be picked up by the next person who can continue to build on it. If we restart every four of five years (as the US seems to be doing now) we are going to end up in continuous disruption and chaos. 

And yet, where leaders chase personal power over public good, long-term planning becomes impossible. Local elected officials often become de facto agents of change, holding space for alternative futures. Increasingly, this is happening in “unexpected” places—like the U.S. There is no longer a clear gold standard of governance. The faster we recognize that, the stronger our partnerships can become.

It’s in these places that foresight can be a salve, offering hope, opening pathways to new futures. But real partnership requires starting with the past, acknowledging the inequities and differences that shape our present. Unlike corporate or organizational foresight, which needs to begin in the future to break out of today’s constraints, global collaboration demands honest reflection first. It must be a mutual exchange, not a one-way street.

Established democracies have a lot to learn from countries operating under different governance models. The ground is shifting beneath them, too. It’s time to move beyond binaries—democratic versus non-democratic—and recognize governance as a spectrum, shaped by local context and culture. If we do this well, global partnerships might become a lifeline for all parties. 

We need a new age of honesty. Corruption and inequality aren’t unique to any system—they exist everywhere.

Rory Stewart put it plainly in conversation with Jon Stewart on The Weekly Show(paraphrased here for clarity):

“Western governments signed on to a statement by Ashraf Ghani claiming every Afghan was committed to a gender-sensitive, multi-ethnic, centralized state based on democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. It seems grotesque now. How did we not see how unrealistic that was? We assumed democracy had universally triumphed, ignoring how differently these ideas play out across cultures.”

Jon Stewart’s response was just as telling:

“And I think the thing that America had a hard time reconciling is we can’t remove corruption from our country.”

Acknowledging our own imperfections isn’t weakness—it’s strength. It’s where real collaboration begins. It’s where meaningful futures start.

At Facilitating Foresight, we’ve adopted a foresight sovereignty pledge to help us stay grounded and open—so that the futures we support don’t simply reinforce myths dressed up as fact.

There is no single gold standard for good governance. The sooner we accept that, the sooner we’ll see real progress.