Skip to content

THEORY OF CHANGE

For 18 years democracy has declined, democracy is under attack. Why is this important?

Democracy is the governance system where power belongs to the people, and where governments act in service of their populations. There are many benefits to living in democracies, such as inherent individual freedoms: to be oneself, to express oneself and to organize oneself. But also to choose those that govern the people, or to be able to govern oneself. Furthermore, in democracies, the people are protected by the law and an effective government ensures peace & prosperity.

There is even a democratic peace theory, that argues that democracies usually do not attack each other, so this means that the only way to gain peace on a global level, is if all countries become democracies.

There is also an alternative to democracy: dictatorship. In dictatorships power does not truly belong to the people, but to the governments. Instead of serving their populations, they are exploiting their populations. Personal freedoms are limited, the law is used to legitimize the power of the oppressor and there is often endemic corruption. Even worse, dictatorships are always searching to increase or expand their power, which leads to violence and even war. When dictatorships are allowed to exist, people will continue to suffer and wars will continue to wreak havoc on this earth.

Long Term Goal: World Peace

The belief of Sankara is thus that we are engaged into an eternal struggle for freedom against dictatorships. However, it also believes that this struggle can be won, and that all populations on earth are able to liberate themselves from oppression. In order words, Sankara believes world peace is possible.

Medium Term Goal: More Democracy

Democracies exist out of two elements: laws that protect the people and people that protect their laws. Both are essential to vibrant democracies. Sankara focuses on the people that protect their laws; the active citizens or activists.

Short Term Goal: Empowered Activists

Activists are the protagonists within the struggle for democracy and its inherent outcomes or goals for individuals: love, truth, freedom, dignity and justice. Activists also have a weapon that is specialized in empowering democracies and defeating dictatorships: civil resistance. Sankara likes to call it peaceful revolutions. This is nonviolent, citizen-based, action to disobey oppressors and return power to the people.

Research have shown that activists are most supported with either training or strategic support, so that they can become more effective in their struggles for democracy. The theory of change of Sankara is therefore that when activists all over the world become better trained and strategically supported, this will help them to achieve victories in their struggle for democracies. When more and more dictatorships are transformed into democracies, this will again increase the friendly co-existance until global peace has been achieved. When global peace has become a reality with everybody governed by themselves through democracies, all humans on earth will have the opportunity to gain love, truth, freedom, dignity and justice.

Evaluating democracy

Freedom House is the international democratic watchdog, that every year reports on the levels of democracy in a given country. They follow a solid checklist that list all democratic essentials. Sankara beliefs that the reports and determining factors of Freedom House are truthful. The effectiveness of Sankara can therefore we measured with it’s effect on democracy rates of a certain country given by Freedom House. The criteria are divided in political rights and civil liberties.

Political Rights

  1. Was the current head of government or other chief national authority elected through free and fair elections?
  2. Were the current national legislative representatives elected through free and fair elections?
  3. Are the electoral laws and framework fair, and are they implemented impartially by the relevant election management bodies?
  4. Do the people have the right to organize in different political parties or other competitive political groupings of their choice, and is the system free of undue obstacles to the rise and fall of these competing parties or groupings?
  5. Is there a realistic opportunity for the opposition to increase its support or gain power through elections?
  6. Are the people’s political choices free from domination by forces that are external to the political sphere, or by political forces that employ extrapolitical means?
  7. Do various segments of the population (including ethnic, racial, religious, gender, LGBT+, and other relevant groups) have full political rights and electoral opportunities?
  8. Do the freely elected head of government and national legislative representatives determine the policies of the government?
  9. Are safeguards against official corruption strong and effective?
  10. Does the government operate with openness and transparency?

 

Civil Liberties

  1. Are there free and independent media?
  2. Are individuals free to practice and express their religious faith or non belief in public and private?
  3. Is there academic freedom, and is the educational system free from extensive political indoctrination?
  4. Are individuals free to express their personal views on political or other sensitive topics without fear of surveillance or retribution?
  5. Is there freedom of assembly?
  6. Is there freedom for nongovernmental organizations, particularly those that are engaged in human rights– and governance-related work?
  7. Is there freedom for trade unions and similar professional or labor organizations?
  8. Is there an independent judiciary?
  9. Does due process prevail in civil and criminal matters?
  10. Is there protection from the illegitimate use of physical force and freedom from war and insurgencies?
  11. Do laws, policies, and practices guarantee equal treatment of various segments of the population?
  12. Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement, including the ability to change their place of residence, employment, or education?
  13. Are individuals able to exercise the right to own property and establish private businesses without undue interference from state or nonstate actors?
  14. Do individuals enjoy personal social freedoms, including choice of marriage partner and size of family, protection from domestic violence, and control over appearance?
  15. Do individuals enjoy equality of opportunity and freedom from economic exploitation?