Clinton talks foreign policy in Philadelphia

Clinton says when it comes to exporting the U-S version of constitutional democracy, the real challenge is not selling others on majority rule, rather, it’s preserving minority rights.

Former President Bill Clinton visited the birthplace of American democracy yesterday to discuss how well our system of government travels. Clinton spoke to a crowd of about 150 members of the National Constitution Center on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall.

Listen:
[audio: 090428sppres.mp3]

Clinton says when it comes to exporting the U.S. version of constitutional democracy, the real challenge is not selling others on majority rule, rather, it’s preserving minority rights.

Clinton: My most recent vivid picture of that are those 300 women walking down the street in Kabul Afghanistan with all those men calling them whores. Let me tell you its been my experience that when anyone tells you their culture wont’ promote an advance of democracy, the person who said that is already in a dominant position.

Still, Clinton cautioned against assuming that impoverished communities cannot conduct free and fair elections, and establish a fair court system that includes the right to an appeal. He said the larger the civil society, the better, and pointed out that nations like India have seen a big increase in non-governmental organizations.