The Spirit Of Law: Utopian Version Of Democracy

During the 16th century, a French judge and political philosopher, “Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu,” also known by the present-day public as Montesquieu, a name widely known within the international legal system and the international relations arena, came up with the work “The Spirit of Laws.”. It is a significant work by Montesquieu, which was published back in 1748. His work explores various topics and concepts related to the influence of climate on society, the separation of political powers, and the structure of good government. The existence of government structure that exists in various democratic governments is heavily based on the workings of Montesquieu, such as the division of political authority in a democratic nation into legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

You see, the democratic world of the 21st century was heavily influenced by the centuries-old works of Montesquieu, especially his most prominent one, “The Spirit of Laws.”. Yet his work still didn’t manage to address the issue of conspiracy groups or the concept of a deep state. Yes, his work did manage to create a balance within the government and political structure, yet this division of power further gives space to conspiracy elements to influence various aspects of the nation-state one way or another.  This sort of development leads to the rise of the Deep State elements within a democratic nation. According to Montesquieu, the nature of democracy is that “the people as a body have sovereign power,” but when government structures collapse due to corrupt civil bureaucracy and internal destabilization, other elements come into power. For example, in the USA, corporate groups and the defense/intelligence community play an influential role; in Pakistan, we have the military/civil bureaucracy, including some corporate elements; and in South Korea, we have the corporate groups, which played a critical role in the mid-20th century in making South Korea an economic powerhouse of Asia today.

In all such examples, we have certain factions that have a considerable amount of influence within the country, even challenging the democratic or ruling government, and the key to their influence is manipulating the people or the citizens of a democratic country that act as a body having sovereign power. This can be achieved by hijacking various state functions that play a key role in public welfare and growth. So, the question that comes into everyone’s mind is: is there a possibility that the concepts of Montesquieu indirectly paved the way for establishments around the globe to generate power behind the scenes within their respective nations? To some extent, yes, considering the ongoing developments in today’s democratic world and the recent examples of the establishment of various respective nations meddling in state affairs, including nations in North America, South Asia, and even, to some extent, Far East Asia as well. In order for Montesquieu’s work “The Spirit of Laws” to have a meaningful effect on the democratic world, it is essential for state institutions to be stronger and operate within their jurisdiction.