REVIEW: Free or not free?

Reviewed by Zaigham Khan

Freedom in the World, the annual survey report of the Washington-based think tank Freedom House, has become an indispensable reference for scholars and activists of democracy and governance. Founded in the 1940s, the organization produces reports on the progress of democracy and freedom in the government of countries around the world, and gives annual scores to indicate the progress of the countries towards freedom (or otherwise).

Defining freedom as "the opportunity to act spontaneously in a variety of fields outside the control of the government and other centres of potential domination", Freedom House measures freedom according to two broad categories: political rights and civil liberties. Political rights enable people to participate freely in the political process, including through the right to vote, compete for public office, and elect representatives who have a decisive impact on public policies and are accountable to the electorate.

Civil liberties allow for the freedoms of expression and belief, associational and organizational rights, rule of law, and personal autonomy without interference from the state.

The political rights and civil liberties categories contain numerical ratings between one and seven for each country or territory, with one representing the most free and seven the least free. The status designation of 'free', 'partly free', or 'not free', which is determined by the combination of the political rights and civil liberties ratings, indicates the general state of freedom in a country or territory. Each pair of political rights and civil liberties ratings is averaged to determine an overall status of "free", "partly free", or "not free".

The 2005 Freedom in the World Report, based on data as fresh as of November 30, 2004, depicts an optimistic scenario. The report estimates that overall, freedom progressed worldwide in 2004, with 26 countries registering gains against 11 showing setbacks. Most gains and declines did not result in category shifts. Some potentially positive steps forward took place in the Middle East and North Africa, especially in the areas of women's rights and increased civic activism.

One major and dramatic shift occurred in Russia's status that fell from "partly free" to "not free" because of the flawed nature of the country's parliamentary elections in December 2003 and presidential elections in 2004, the further consolidation of state control of the media, and the imposition of official curbs on opposition political parties and groups. Russia's retreat from freedom marks a low point not registered since 1989, when the country was part of the Soviet Union.

The report once again declares Pakistan a "not free" country. In 1994 and 1995 Pakistan was listed as a "partly free" country with a rating of three for political rights and five for civil liberties. In 1996-97 the ratings fell to four and five and the worst was recorded in 1999 when for political rights Pakistan got a seven ranking. The country has remained, since that time, stuck in that unenviable category. In political rights, the organization has once again rated Pakistan at six and in civil liberties at five.

What is even more alarming is the fact that Azad Kashmir has received the lowest political rights rating besides Chechnya (Russia), Tibet (China) and Western Sahara (Morocco). This will indeed prove a big media coup for India and a good reason for Pakistan's establishment to revise their penchant for remote controlling even the day to day affairs of the state.

According to the survey, 89 countries in the world are "free". Their 2.8 billion inhabitants (44 per cent of the world's population) enjoy a broad range of rights. Fifty-four countries representing 1.2 billion people (19 per cent) are considered "partly free". Political rights and civil liberties are more limited in these countries, in which corruption, dominant ruling parties, or, in some cases, ethnic or religious strife are often the norm. The survey finds that 49 countries are "not free". The 2.4 billion inhabitants (37 per cent) of these countries, are denied most basic political rights and civil liberties.

A total of eight countries - Pyongyang, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, and Turkmenistan - receive the lowest possible scores for both political rights and civil liberties, making them the most repressive regimes in the world. Chechnya and Tibet also fall into this category.

The Freedom House survey data also sheds some light on the debate about the relationship between the lack of political rights and civil liberties and the growing threat of international terrorism. According to a Freedom House analysis of global terrorist attacks of a five-year period from 1999-2003, 70 per cent of all attributable deaths by terrorism were perpetrated by terrorists and terrorist movements originating in 'not free' countries. By contrast, only eight per cent of global fatalities from terrorism were perpetrated by terrorists and groupings with origins in the "free world". Country narratives would be released in book form in spring of 2005.

Freedom in the World 2004: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc., 4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706, USA

Also available on the Freedom House

website: www.freedomhouse.org

ISBN 0742528707

752pp. $29.95