Democracy is not an end in itself

Western democracies, like any other human society, need to develop continuously. Compared with autocracies, Western democracies value rationality greatly which is the basis of human society's survival. It's true the world could not have enjoyed the peace and development that it does today without the contribution of Western democracies. But we must be aware of the serious problems embedded in Western societies in terms of employment, education, healthcare, housing and old-age care, which often turn into social crises.

Take healthcare for example. Equal access to medical care is an indispensable part of human rights. But even the most enthusiastic human rights activists in Western countries are yet to say "all men are equal before healthcare". No political party or government has included this goal in its political manifesto.

The harsh truth is that though Western countries talk of upholding human rights, none of them has really granted people equal access to medical services. In the United States, about 50 million people (including the so-called illegal immigrants) are not covered by social medical insurance. Statistics show that each year tens of thousands of Americans die because they cannot afford to pay for their medical treatment. And though the US Congress has passed President Barack Obama's healthcare bill, most state governments are still against his reform plan.