ABSTRACT
From the Middle East to Eastern Europe, the U.S. press attributes deficits in democratic governance to the lack of Western values. In Iraq, it was reported that the involvement of clerics in political negotiations was “alien to Western values.” Similarly, as Eastern Europe made its transition from communism to democracy and a market economy, the problems of corruption, mismanagement, and cronyism were attributed to deficits in Western values. Even nationalistic fervor in Japan has been similarly characterized. On occasion, this gave rise to the paradox of discrediting “anti-Western” factions for insisting on decisions by plebiscites or exposing corruption among the pro-Western elements. It all exemplifies the reductive nature of the notion of Western values.
