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January 09, 2008

After Bhutan, Tibet?

When I sit down and spend hours writing something in hopes it gets published, inevitably it doesn’t. That’s why I have this blog. When it’s late at night and I dash off something hastily written, errors and all, it gets published. I’ve got to figure out why.

The last time I had something published was in business school. I came home from a networking activity (read: drinking at a bar) to find an email sent to a mailing list asking for comments on the fact Columbia was #9 in the latest ranking, far lower than we should be. So I dashed off a long and rather rambling diatribe to the mailing list detailing how we should aspire to be #1 and how the Dean should set that as the school’s goal.

I was caught off guard when, a few days later, my diatribe was printed on the front page of the student newspaper, mercifully cut when the rambling got too long. I was even more surprised at how many people approached me that day to tell me that I was saying exactly what needed to be said. But I took a lesson not to send things to mailing lists that include journalists.

On January 2, the night before I departed for Stockholm, I couldn’t get to sleep so I dialed-up the next days’ editorials on WSJ.com. This one caught my eye:

Democracy in Shangri-La

The citizens of the world's newest democracy went to the polls Monday to elect members of the upper house of Parliament. In coming months they will vote on the draft constitution that has been mailed to every household in the nation and choose representatives for the lower house.

Welcome to Bhutan, an isolated Himalayan Kingdom wedged between India and China and famous for a national philosophy of "gross domestic happiness." Until recently, Bhutan has been an absolute monarchy, under the reign of King Jigme Singye Wangchuk, who ascended the throne in 1972 at the age of 16. The monarch's official title is Druk Gyalpo, or Dragon King, but His Majesty also deserves to go down in history as his country's George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

In 1998, King Jigme Singye Wangchuk voluntarily reduced the scope of his powers. A few years later he decreed that Bhutan would become a constitutional monarchy and set out to educate his people on the virtues of democracy. He accomplished this task by personally presiding at informational meetings throughout the country and holding mock elections. In December 2006, after 34 years as sovereign, he abdicated, turning over his limited responsibilities to his Oxford-educated son.

In drafting a constitution, the elder King ordered his legal experts to study the constitutions of all the world's great democracies. The final product opens with "We the People" and speaks, in the preamble, of securing the "blessings of liberty." These words were originally penned by a group of men who gathered in Philadelphia in 1787. Their power has not diminished over the centuries. Today, the ideals that stand at the heart of the world's oldest democracy are understood anew by men and women led by an enlightened former monarch in Thimphu.

Aside from Belgium (and soon Sweden), I’ve spent more consecutive time in Bhutan than any other country. So I felt motivated to wipe the grogginess from my eyes and type out on my blackberry’s gmail the following:

George Washington Avatar Alive and Well in Bhutan

Regarding your editorial "Democracy in Shangi-La," (Jan. 2), the then-king of Bhutan drove past me on his way to the office one morning in Thimpu. There were no flashing lights or fancy Benz -- the only indication came from my tour guide.

Remarkably, Bhutan's transition from absolute monarchy to democracy has been entirely organic, driven by the pragmatic former king and the sometimes hesitant people of Bhutan. Remarkably, do-gooder western NGOs are almost non-existent in the country except in narrow technical roles like bridge building.

Alas, with democracy blooming in Bhutan, we can only hope that Bhutan's brothers in neighboring Tibet will someday be so lucky.

Adrian Jones
New York

It was published, errors and all (who would use the word “remarkably” to start two consecutive sentences?), in the Wall Street Journal yesterday. It ran in all three worldwide editions—Americas, Europe, and Asia. The Asia headline was, “After Bhutan, Tibet?” Hopefully the Chinese won’t arrest me next time I visit Shanghai.

Posted by adrianjo at January 9, 2008 10:14 AM