Why The Lebanese should read Federalist #10

The Lebanese would be quite surprised to learn that the American system is based on compromise, not on majority rule as we might think. A piece contributed to the Beirut Spring by fellow blogger Abou Hatem, looks at how the work of one author of the American constitution can help the Lebanese find a balance between democracy and that increasingly irritating concept we call compromise.

The art of compromise…

When looking at the lack of compromise in Lebanon’s current political gridlock, I, as an Arab American remembered the words of James Madison. 

Madison was the primary author of the American constitution, and most of its greatest commentary — The Federalist Papers . Madison was central in creating the modern Democratic policy making process in the United States of “checks and balances,” — one which was based in competing elites with competing interests, representing the people, arriving at compromise and conciliation in their creation of policy.

Such a system is the oldest continuous Democratic system in the world. It is the product of this very system, compromise, which is the essence of American democracy. The founders of our Republic did not intend for Democracy to be “majority rule,” but in fact worked hard to protect the axial foundation of Democracy — minority rights.

In the Federalist #10, Madison worked hard to convince Americans that this system in which competing interests and branches of government, as well as federalist division between state and local government, would result in policies of compromise which would satisfy the people. He worked hard to convince Americans of the flaws of majority tyranny, and of “mob-rule,” in which compromise simply would not work.Madison wrote:

There are two methods of curing the mischiefs of faction: the one, by removing its causes; the other, by controlling its effects.There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one, by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests. It could never be more truly said than of the first remedy, that it was worse than the disease. Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency.

I urge you all to read the remainder of the Federalist #10.

Political compromise is the foundation of a Democratic system. It is only through compromise that a system is truly democratic and survives. The elites, the policy makers who represent us, fail us when they are unable to reach a compromise based in the relative strengths of each group. 

Obviously, compromise is impossible for every possible opinion, and the weakest and least supported opinions will have less political leverage and thus often not be included. Yet, significant minorities using their political leverage to reach some sort of compromise with the majority is the essence of Democratic policy. Compromise means that everyone will not get everything to go his way, but that different people will have to give up different things for the sake of the public good. It is the job of our elected officials to create policy which reflects the will of the people conditioned upon the common public good.

 We often hear Lebanese on both sides today lamenting compromise . Compromise they say causes nothing to be done, or leads to a do-nothing President. Yet the fact remains that the parliament reflects the will of the people — the very divided people of Lebanon. Whether March 14th, or March 8th, the only way Lebanon can progress ahead of the Arab world is to lead the pack in achieving compromise. No-holds-bars warfare, fighting, and clashes all seeking the will to power have characterized the entire Middle East, including Lebanon, for too many years now. Instead of the difficult act of compromise, we find it all to easy to use our strength and resources to destroy opposition. Yet, humans are diverse and people are different. The quest to dehumanize and destroy “the other,” in hope for Utopia, or ideology, or sect, has done nothing but bring hell to the people of Lebanon and the people of the Middle East.

If Lebanon truly desires Democracy. If March 14th and March 8th truly desire peace and prosperity, freedom and diversity, tolerance and acceptance, then they must leave this sectarian and partisan will to absolute power. People of Lebanon, follow in the steps of the people of the free world. If you truly want peace and freedom, then come to the realization of compromise . Destroy the plague of sectarian hate, of class-war hate, of political hate and replace it with peaceful celebration of sectarian diversity, of class diversity, and of political diversity. Solve your problems using rule of law, through peaceful compromise.

We must come to the realization that losing some political battles is a lesser evil than losing freedom to civil wars which never end. For, the acceptance of political loss is itself a victory, a victory for Democracy and a victory for peace. In the words of Madison, on the dangers of a government without institutions requiring compromise:

When a majority is included in a faction, the form of popular government, on the other hand, enables it to sacrifice to its ruling passion or interest both the public good and the rights of other citizens.