Democratic State Research Articles

System of state measures to fight human rights violations in armed conflict

The article examines the modern challenges of human rights protection during the armed conflict, in particular in the context of the need to introduce the legal regime of martial law, which was introduced due to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against the sovereign, democratic and legal Ukrainian state. The article focuses on the analysis of critical aspects of the protection of human rights in the context of armed conflict, emphasizing the difficulties arising from an aggressive invasion of a sovereign, democratic, and legal state. Special attention is paid to strategic priorities for the restoration and protection of human rights that have been seriously affected by military actions. The article argues the need for a specific legal framework adapted to the conditions of wartime armed conflict and the key priorities of post-war reconstruction. The article provides a detailed analysis of national legislation and relevant international legal norms and an attempt to identify and recommend effective strategies for strengthening the protection of human rights. Emphasis is placed on the need for legislative changes and reforms that would ensure rights and civil liberties and be consistent with European and international standards, thereby strengthening legal guarantees against potential human rights violations. The article provides a critical review of existing legal gaps that impair the protection of human rights during armed conflicts and discusses the key role of the international community and legal institutions in upholding justice and accountability. In addition, it is proposed to implement innovative legal measures and integrate the norms of international humanitarian law to strengthen the legal infrastructure, which is necessary for the effective restoration and protection of human rights and civil liberties. The article reveals modern scientific and professional discussions, emphasizing the urgent need for active and strategic legal measures that meet European and international standards, ensuring the protection of human rights in the complex conditions of military conflicts.

"Action and reaction" - a new public sector effectiveness assessment methodology

The main contribution of the paper is the development of a new way of assessing the efficiency of public administration using statistical methods - multivariate regression (identification of exogenous factors) and residual analysis (identification of regression residuals). The methodology presented is intuitive, practical and, if appropriately set up, globally applicable for the evaluation of a wide range of processes taking place in the public sector on the principle of "action and reaction". Putting the methodology into practice can go some way to satisfying the "taxpayer hunger" for information about whether the money they pay in taxes is being used wisely. It makes it possible to assess efficiency in a particular institution or to compare similar processes in several institutions over a given period of time. The methodology has been developed on the basis of audit findings (prepared by the supreme audit institution for the public sector in a democratic state) and their implications. The developed methodology brings a new perspective to the traditional claim that public sector effectiveness is virtually impossible to measure and that factors for objective evaluation of public sector managers cannot be easily established.

Prospects for the development of constitutional principles of the constitutional and legal status of a person and a citizen

The article substantiates the need for further development of the constitutional principles of the constitutional and legal status of a person and a citizen in Ukraine. In order to solve this task, the current legislation in the field of the constitutional and legal status of a person and a citizen was analyzed, recognizing that the Constitution of Ukraine created an effective constitutional and legal basis for further law-making and rule-making activities of state structures regarding the principles of the constitutional status of a person and a citizen. At the current stage of state formation, the observance of human rights in Ukraine is connected with the legal trend of their recognition at the state-legal level. It should be noted that they are enshrined in various international legal acts, and above all, they are aimed at the development of rights and freedoms, as well as individual guarantees. The problems of the real guarantee of the rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen within the framework of their consolidation in the constitutional principles of the legal status of a person and a citizen, as well as the question of the actual state of the position of these things, rarely become the subject of scientific research. It is this that determines the need to research the aspect of the prospects for the development of the principles of the constitutional status of a person and a citizen, as well as the elements and mechanisms of its implementation. It is argued that the modern constitutional development of Ukraine in the context of the European dimension of political transformations determines the problem of rethinking the role and meaning of the constitutional principles of the status of a person and a citizen in Ukraine in the process of forming a new legal reality. It was determined that despite the establishment of the basic principles of the constitutional and legal status of a person and a citizen in the Constitution of Ukraine, there is an urgent need for their further development in the context of building a modern democratic legal state. A conclusion is made about the special role and significance of modern transformations of constitutional norms, which highlight the status of a person and a citizen, for the sake of normal and harmonious formation of prospects for the development of the principles of the constitutional status of a person and a citizen, and the introduction of appropriate changes to the Constitution of Ukraine.

Problematic aspects of the implementation of legal guarantees of human and citizen rights in Ukraine

The article describes the basic rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen, which are inalienable rights and freedoms enjoyed by a person from birth. They form the basis of the legal status enshrined in the state constitution and enjoy the highest legal protection. The most important and complex relations between people and the relations between the state and the person in legal form are regulated by formulating the rights, freedoms and obligations underlying the legal status of a person, which is one of the most important not only legal, but also juridical. also political categories. The most important features of the rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen are: naturalness, continuity, equality, social justification, respect for international standards, state guarantee. The problem of guaranteeing the rights and freedoms of a person by giving them a real character is not only of a practical nature. In the modern context of the development of the rule of law and civil society, it is important to develop a holistic scientific concept of human rights and freedoms, which covers a wide range of theoretical provisions regarding the essence and content of rights and freedoms, their structure and mechanism. Local self-government bodies play an important role in ensuring constitutional rights and freedoms. A real environment for the existence of human rights is possible in the conditions of a democratic state governed by the rule of law. Democracy, rule of law and human rights are inseparable. The rule of law is a guarantee of the reality of human rights in terms of protection from violations by the authorities, and human rights are the main condition and characteristic of democracy, the humanistic and human dimension of the rule of law. The article concludes that the basis of democracy in the state is the guarantee of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen by the Constitution of the state, not only formally, but also in practice. Therefore, taking into account the individual shortcomings of state bodies in regulating the system of human and citizen rights, the number of human rights organizations is growing day by day, both at the national and international levels. At the same time, the article concludes that it is impossible to build a legal state in a society with developed legal nihilism. And respect for the rights of society can be caused only by concern for the same rights of people and citizens.

The influence of the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in the case "Polyakh et al. v. Ukraine" on the development of lustration as an independent type of constitutional and legal responsibility in Ukraine

The article is devoted to the analysis of lustration as an independent type of constitutional and legal liability in Ukraine and its evolution under the influence of the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in the case "Polyakh et al. v. Ukraine” (became final on February 24, 2020). It is noted that lustration, in view of its principles - presumption of innocence, individual responsibility, guaranteed right to defense - and in view of the consequences for the person subject to lustration, is an "instrument” that leads to the restriction of the rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen. This is an independent type of constitutional and legal responsibility that is developing in Ukraine and is an integral part of the development of Ukraine as a democratic state. It is noted that since lustration limits the rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen, it must meet the following criteria: be established by law; have a legitimate purpose; to be necessary in a democratic society. The decision of the European Court of Human Rights in the case "Polyakh et al. v. Ukraine” was analyzed. As for the legitimate purpose, when applying lustration as an type of constitutional and legal responsibility in Ukraine, it was applied to a very wide range of persons, which did not correlate with the legitimate purpose and legal purpose, which was to protect a democratic form of government. This large circle of lustrated persons included persons for whom the application of lustration did not pursue a legitimate goal, and the interference with their rights was not proportionate. Since the decision of the European Court of Human Rights is a source of law in Ukraine, and Ukraine has an obligation to implement the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, taking measures of a general nature to implement the decision "Poliakh et al. persons subject to lustration and its clear definition. As for the measures that were applied to all persons subject to lustration, such measures were as restrictive as possible, as broad as possible in scope, and no individual assessment of the behavior of the person subject to lustration was carried out. When improving the legislation on lustration, it is necessary to provide for an individual assessment of the person subject to lustration; to apply restriction measures, which are characterized by different degrees of restriction and to establish the criteria for their measurement and application.

Constitutional foundations of local self-government in Ukraine

The constitutional foundations of local self­government in Ukraine are norms-principles reflected in more than 20 articles of the Constitution of Ukraine. Norms establishing the legal, organizational, material and financial foundations of local self-government provide for the establishment of a democratic decentralized management system, based on independent territorial communities, local self-government bodies, which are entrusted with the decision of all issues of local importance. Real effective local self-government is possible only in the presence of certain conditions that have objectively developed in society, and which collectively form the basis of local self-government. The basics of local self­government create the foundation, that is, the foundation on which the entire system of local self-government is built. One of the fundamental foundations of local self-government is the participation of citizens in the social and political life of the state. The topicality of the topic is due primarily to the fact that at the current stage of democratic transformation of our country, local self­government is the basis of civil society. Local self-government is one of the most important institutions of a democratic state. Its development is a central scientific problem of municipal law and a "cornerstone” in municipal science for many decades, since its inception. The 1996 Constitution of Ukraine created the legal basis for the development of local self-government as a special type of public power. The article analyzes the constitutional principles that established the status of municipal power, their influence on further legislation and practice of local self­government. The constitutional principles of local self-government are analyzed. The approaches available in modern jurisprudence regarding the definition of the concept of "basics of local self­government” have been considered. Arguments are presented in favor of separating the organizational- legal, territorial, and material-financial bases of the activity of local self-government bodies.

The right to freedom of speech: theoretical and legal aspect

The article defines the right to freedom as a vital role in the existence of humanity, as it allows citizens to take an active part in the country's political life and shape public opinion. The author notes that the right to freedom of speech has ancient historical origins. Documents were analyzed in which the principle of freedom of speech was declared, in particular the Great Charter of Freedoms (1215), Bill of Rights (1689), Declaration of Independence (1776), Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (1789), Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) and other acts. It is emphasized that these documents became the basis for developing the right to freedom of speech in modern democratic countries and provided an opportunity to freely express one's opinions without being persecuted by the authorities. The article pays special attention to domestic regulation of the right to freedom of speech. The author notes that freedom of speech is one of the critical components of human and citizen rights in many legal systems. The theoretical aspect of this issue includes the analysis of different approaches and concepts to understanding the essence and scope of this subjective legal right. Philosophical foundations and legal methods for understanding "freedom of speech” are described. It was determined that the right to freedom of speech is not absolute and may be limited. The work lists the circumstances under which the outlined right may be limited. The author emphasizes that possible restrictions must be legal, necessary in a democratic society, and comply with the principle of proportionality. The article summarizes that freedom of speech is historically an essential human right, which forms the basis of the legal status of an individual. Without it, the functioning of a democratic state is impossible at all. But at the same time, it should be taken into account that freedom of speech is not only a right but also a responsibility that rests on those who use this right. Ensuring its adequate protection requires a combination of international standards, national legislation, and constant adaptation to modern realities.

The democratic patience

This article theoretically clarifies and presents the first large-N empirical support for a centuries-old intuition: that democracies are slow to use violent military force. It argues that democratic and nondemocratic state leaders managing interstate crises experience trade-offs over when to respond, and that democratic institutions incentivize democrats that consider violent military force to delay. The article presents a simplified account of leader choice during crisis and highlights two mechanisms rooted in external and internal politics that may drive delay. Analyses of nearly 950 states experiencing crisis provide support for expectations. Democracy is associated with a roughly 40% lower likelihood of responding to a crisis at any given point in time, conditional on responding with violence. Two illustrative case studies probe the plausibility of the proposed mechanisms. Taken together, the theory and findings illuminate the processes leaders engage as they consider abandoning negotiating tables at home and abroad in favor of the battlefield.

The legal status of a judge in the Republic of Kazakhstan

Relevance. The relevance of the study is based on the fact that the judiciary is an institutional element of the legal system that ensures the democratic development of the state towards economic, political and social renewal. Purpose. The purpose of this study is to expose the mechanism of the judicial system and highlight the special features of the legal status of the judge and the major challenges that hinder the improvement of the legal position. Methodology. Among the methodological approaches used in this investigation are formal legal, theoretical, legal hermeneutics, dogmatic, deduction, synthesis and others. Results. The study examined the mechanism for the judicial system and its specific features, highlighting the role of this element of the legal system in the formation of public life; the concept of the legal status of judges and their rights and obligations were also analysed. Special attention has been given to the content of the employment contract with judges and their requirements, and the specifics of entering into an employment contract. The analysis reveals the special features and challenges in modifying and terminating a judge's mandate. The principle of judicial independence has been studied in detail, establishing its importance in ensuring a fair trial and creating the conditions for citizens to regain the trust of the authorities. Conclusions. The practical relevance of the findings is in recommendations on how to address the challenges in improving the legal status of the judge, as this is an integral part of building a democratic state. Keywords: judicial power; justice; legal status; powers; judicial reform

Measuring political radicalism and extremism in surveys: Three new scales.

This paper introduces three new scales to measure left- and right-wing radical as well as general extremist attitudes that can be applied across Western European countries. We therefore propose a thorough conceptualization of extremist attitudes that consists of two dimensions: general extremism, by which we understand attitudes that oppose the constitutional democratic state, and another dimension that differentiates between right- and left-wing radicalism by which we understand people who take far-reaching but often one-sided positions on political issues (e.g., on nationalism or anti-imperialism) by advocating fundamental socio-political change. Based on data from Germany, Great Britain, and the Netherlands (n = 6,201) we created short indices for general extremism and left- and right-wing radicalism. We check for convergence validity by assessing the psychometric properties of the extracted indices, i.e. their internal coherence and the degree to which a scale is able to distinguish strongly extremist and non-extremist individuals. Finally, we correlate the scales with various constructs that are likely related to extremist attitudes in order to assure external or construct validity. The results indicate that the three scales are highly valid and applicable across three Western European countries. Overall, we find that about two to four percent of citizens in each country hold left-wing or right-wing extremist attitudes.

Входження України до ЄС та формування нової архітектури європейського континенту

The article examines the key challenges of the European security system and the threats Ukraine and the EU face with. The author notes the onset of an era of global conflict and instability. The text analyzes Ukraine's path to integration with the EU, its main stages, achievements, and unresolved problems. Attention is paid to the study of the dangers that have arisen because of Russia's aggressive retro-imperial policy, and the importance of consolidation of the EU member states to counter Russian encroachments is shown. It’s also emphasized that Ukraine's contribution to European security is growing considerably, but the country needs more comprehensive support and assistance from European and other democratic states in the world. The author points out the problems in the EU itself in developing and ensuring an effective foreign and security policy, especially in view of the subversive activities of the so-called Putin's circle of friends. The vital importance of granting Ukraine and Moldova the status of candidates for EU membership is underlined as well as a fundamental decision to start accession negotiations with both countries. Attention is also drawn to the need to reform the EU itself, primarily to ensure its greater ability to respond to emerging challenges and threats.

An Analysis of How TVET is Playing a Significant Role in Fostering Students’ Skills and Competencies in South Africa

It is generally acceptable that the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) plays a vital role in all aspects of the economy and the society at large in that it is a viable transformative tertiary educational institution for promoting and realising the South African government's developmental strategy and agenda. Essentially, it seeks to ensure that learners who failed to secure admission to the university still have the opportunity to go to tertiary institutions where they will learn and acquire skills and competency that will make them employable, be self-employed and become employers by creating jobs. Also, this paper shows that in the quest for economic growth and development, TVET has moved to the forefront of political changes aimed at eliminating poverty, unemployment, and inequality. More importantly, TVET positioned itself to address the government's developmental challenges and difficulties through the provision of high-quality education to students to skill and empower them. Against this backdrop, TVET continues to be a reliable institution to train and educate young people to build the ideal of a democratic developmental state. Received: 5 July 2023 / Accepted: 21 April 2024 / Published: 5 May 2024

Xenophobia: a hindrance factor to South Africa’s ambition of becoming a developmental state

The prevalence of xenophobic violence toward foreigners has hindered South Africa’s ambition to become a developmental state since 2007, when the concept of a “democratic developmental state” was first endorsed during the African National Congress (ANC) conference in Polokwane. This ambition has also been thwarted by the inability of the post-apartheid regime to provide adequate and sustainable services to the citizens. Xenophobia has disrupted economic growth and has contributed to poor service delivery in local municipalities, thus leading to social protests. The developmental state depends mainly on a solid balance of economic growth and human development. It also leans on the capacity of the state to establish policies that address poverty and promote the expansion of solid economic opportunities. In this endeavor, migrants increase economic growth and make it sustainable, increase productivity, and promote the labor market. They also promote the labor force and human capital, economic growth, and public finance, thus enabling the realization of a developmental state. However, xenophobia has limited migrants’ contributions to economic growth and social well-being in South Africa. It has destructive effects on South Africa’s economic structure and growth, thus affecting the delivery of adequate services that would enhance its ability to achieve a developmental state. The paper recommends that there is a need for South Africa to understand that xenophobia affects economic growth and the service delivery framework. To address the prevalence of xenophobia and achieve its ambition of a developmental state, South Africa needs to hasten its responses to curb xenophobia and integrate migrants into economic opportunities. The paper adopted a qualitative research methodology and conceptual and document analysis techniques to collect data that enabled the achievement of the above assertions.

DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN DEMOCRATIC STATES AND THEIR POLITICAL SYSTEMS WITH REFERENCE TO THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

The identity of a state is expressed in its external relations, as well as in its internal organization, i.e. the policy it implements. A democratically formed political system implies that the state is successfully organized, the main understanding of society is freedom and justice, democracy does not know war, the principles of justice rule between groups, which means that each group with its own characteristics has the freedom to organize its life and relations with all others groups, the right of independent development must be nurtured, which complements the duties of each individual group. The paper presents the theoretical framework of the appearance of modern democratic states, describes the contemporary practice from developed political systems, expresses the effects of the modern political system and defines three approaches to assessing the validity of the political system, shows a special review of the political system of the Republic of Serbia. The scientific and social justification of this research work is based on pointing out and highlighting the factors that contribute to a greater degree of democracy and less class differences, which certainly determines the political system and society of a modern state, where the Republic of Serbia aspires to be.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE BUKHARA PEOPLE'S SOVIET REPUBLIC AND THE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN IT

The article is devoted to the structure of the Bukhara People's Soviet Republic (BPSR) and its management system. In the first quarter of the twentieth century, important events took place in the life of the Uzbek people. At this time, our people, who lived under the colonial regime of the Russian Empire and the Bukhara Emirate under the monarchical regime, came up with the ideas of freedom and independence. On September 2, 1920, in Bukhara, the Emirati system was overthrown by red soldiers by force of arms. On September 14, 1920, at the general meeting of the Bukhara Council of People's Observers, the Revolutionary Committee and the Central Committee of the Bukhara Communist Party, the All-Bukhara Revolutionary Committee and the Republican Government - 11 members of the Council of People's Observers. were formed. On October 6-8, 1920, the First Congress of People's Representatives of Bukhara took place. At the congress, the formation of the Bukhara People's Soviet Republic was solemnly announced. Based on archival documents, the fact is analyzed that the Bolsheviks, who came to Bukhara under the guise of helping to create a democratic state, intervened here in political and socio-economic life and tried to turn it in the interests of Russia.

“The Desire for Peace is ‘Unconstitutional’ in Bonn”: The Free German Youth and Rearmament in West Germany, 1945–1952

ABSTRACT: Best known as the state youth organization of the German Democratic Republic, the Free German Youth (FDJ) operated widely in West Germany during the early Cold War era. This article provides a brief history of the West-FDJ, as it was known, and concentrates on its prominent efforts challenging Chancellor Konrad Adenauer’s rearmament policies in the early 1950s. While the decision to ban the organization in 1951 was justified by concerns about the fragility of the young democratic state, the Adenauer government’s strident response also served as a politically expedient strategy to undermine resistance to West Germany’s remilitarization.

Factorization of the Difficulty of Political Parties in Indonesia to Develop as an Implementation of Democratic State

Pemilihan umum yang diselenggarakan untuk memilih anggota lembaga perwakilan rakyat, yang mencakup kegiatan partai politik, merupakan bentuk demokrasi. Dalam hal ini, sebuah negara yang mematuhi sistem demokratis adalah negara yang diatur berdasarkan keinginan dan kehendak rakyat. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian yuridis normatif dengan pendekatan penelitian perpustakaan untuk mengumpulkan data sekunder. Pendekatan perpustakaan adalah pendekatan yang bertujuan untuk memperoleh data yang dilakukan melalui proses membaca, menulis, kemudian diproses dengan berbagai sumber literatur, buku, catatan, majalah, untuk memperoleh jawaban atas masalah hukum yang sedang diteliti. Dalam kenyataannya, banyak perilaku partai politik yang tidak sejalan dengan ideologi yang telah ditetapkan. Sistem Rekrutmen dan Pola Kader Anggota Partai Politik saat ini cukup mengkhawatirkan. Banyak fenomena telah menimbulkan keraguan tentang kader partai politik. Dalam hal ini, masalah utamanya adalah bahwa ketergantungan partai politik pada dana dari pemerintah telah mengubah sifat partai politik itu sendiri. Berdasarkan hasil kontemplasi, dapat disimpulkan bahwa ada tiga masalah yang terjadi dalam partai politik di Indonesia, yaitu: 1) Pelemahan ideologi partai politik, 2) Pelemahan Tingkat Kualitas Administrasi dan Pola Rekrutmen Kader Anggota Partai Politik, 3) Krisis dalam mengumpulkan dana partai politik yang dalam dana pemerintah telah mengubah sifat partai politik itu sendiri.

인공지능과 인권

Human rights and artificial intelligence are two important concepts that interact with each other in today's rapidly developing digital age. How will artificial intelligence technology affect human rights that are spreading throughout people's lives? This question has become an increasing focus of attention. Artificial intelligence is the field that enables computer systems to simulate human-like thinking and decision-making capabilities. However, some of the problems that arise from artificial intelligence may have a direct impact on human rights. The interaction between human rights and artificial intelligence is a complex problem. While artificial intelligence technology has the potential to harm people and human rights, it also has great potential to be used to protect and promote human rights. Therefore, artificial intelligence technology must be developed and used while observing human rights through an approach supported by an ethical and legal framework. In this paper, after reviewing human rights issues such as artificial intelligence and freedom of expression, artificial intelligence and freedom of privacy, artificial intelligence and bias, hate, discrimination, artificial intelligence and defamation, artificial intelligence and copyright, we will discuss the issue of legal response to artificial intelligence. Regarding the relationship between the state and science and technology, the Constitution stipulates that “the state shall endeavor to develop the national economy through innovation of science and technology and the development of information and manpower (Article 127), and the rights of authors, inventors, and scientists are protected by law (Article 22).” It declares that the state will actively plan and form for the promotion of science and technology and lead in a certain direction. In relation to these constitutional provisions, the establishment and implementation of science and technology policies can be seen as an important duty given to the Republic of Korea as a democratic welfare state. It can be said that the main legislative duty is to achieve a balance between the value of promoting the development and utilization of artificial intelligence systems and the appropriate response to the risks that artificial intelligence can pose. To achieve a balance between artificial intelligence and human rights, it is necessary to comply with ethical values, use transparent and responsible systems, update legal regulations, and adopt an approach that guarantees stakeholder participation. By doing so, we will be able to build a future where human rights are protected while taking advantage of the potential benefits of artificial intelligence.

Uprzywilejowanie wierzycieli w podziale sumy uzyskanej z egzekucji sądowej – uwagi konstytucyjne i procesowe

The purpose of this study is an interdisciplinary analysis the new regulations, referred to in Art. 1025 § 1 point 21, § 32, § 7–8 of the Code of Civil Procedure, in the context of constitutional norms and values determined by specific institutions the principles of a democratic state of law. This regulation was introduced by the amendment of March 9, 2023 as a security for future alimony claims. The article discusses reservations regarding its compliance with the constitutional principle of protection of acquired rights and also presents the corrective proposals. The goal of the paper is to present the compliance of new regulations with the right to enforcement, derived from the constitutional right to a court. The study uses a dogmatic-legal research method.

이스라엘의 하레디 유대인들은 누구인가

This paper analyzes the political characteristics of Haredi Jews and evaluates their impact on Israeli political development. This paper analyzes and utilizes information from Jewish organizations and Haredi Jewish organizations, papers published in Haredi professional journals and religious journals, books on Haredi Jews, materials from Israeli government and Knesset, and Israeli, British, and American newspapers. I re-wrote this below This paper analyzes the political characteristics of Haredi Jews and evaluates their impact on Israeli political development by utilizing information from Jewish organizations, the academic literature, materials from Israeli government, and Israeli, British, and American newspapers. Historically, most Haredi Jews have pursued the political and economic interests of their community while changing their positions on the state of Israel and Zionism. In recent years, Haredi political parties have emerged as important influential actors in Israeli politics. Haredi Jews are a key element of Israel's identity as a Jewish state. However, the active participation of Haredi Jews in politics can be a fatal weakness and a major obstacle to Israel's development into a modern democratic state.