The Limits of Democracy in Late Capitalism Challenges for Peacebuilding in Colombia

Abstract

An approach to the Colombian political system, a rather distant scenario from the ideas of “polyarchy” (Dahl) and, of course, “homeland” (Habermas), immersed in a crisis of legitimacy that is typical of late capitalism —wherein that which is public has been characterized by exclusions and political violence—, demonstrates how social inequality taints the public sphere, how certain members of society are involuntarily isolated and subordinated to others, and how “public opinion” is stripped of its strength. In these terms, it is argued that the analysis of the possibilities of consolidating the emancipatory ideal of democracy, despite having to understand the debate between liberal democracy (of elites) and deliberative democracy, must overflow it with consideration of the objective causes of violence, that is, assume that the “struggle for recognition” must go through the reflection on the distribution of economic resources (Fraser). This leads to identifying four challenges to peacebuilding in Colombia: prioritizing that which is reasonable over that which is rational, fostering a broad consensus, incorporating reflection on distributive justice and overcoming legal fetishism.