Global Dialogues

Ece Temelkuran maintains that faith is the ultimate solution for democracy. Although faith is associated with religion, we use it daily for other reasons. How can we continue in life if we do not have faith? However, personal faith is not enough. There is also a need to find a community that wants to fight for the same cause. Why is climate change or reproductive health always a hot topic yet politicians in Washington, DC, do not want to address the issue? There are people not only from the United States but all over the world who, despite all odds, still fight because they believe in the same idea.

Faith is essential to the triumph of democracy, but we need to do it as a society. Young people need faith to fight for a better future, but they also need people to support them. When one of us loses faith, others can restore it. For this reason, collaboration between the Global North and the Global South is essential. Without comprehending others' ideas, ending the political establishment is difficult, if not impossible.

Moreover, Temelkuran, in her reflections, mentions that "intellectual courage was scared to call a spade a spade." Nonetheless, intellectual reflection happens worldwide, from Mexico to Ghana. The issue is that we are not aware of examples of intellectual courage. The problem is that human rights activists or political thinkers face challenges in expressing their opinions. For instance, in the last hearings of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights there was a focus on human rights defenders in Latin America and the Caribbean. These people, who were supporting diverse causes, including defending democracy, expressed that their governments silenced their voices.

I agree that we need to believe in ourselves because we are the ones who can change how democracy is understood. I hope Georgetown Global Dialogues will contribute by sharing our faith and commitment to social justice.

Rosario Vázquez Ruiz (L’24) is a third-year student at Georgetown Law.