Political systems (autocracy, representative democracy, etc) including the way they are implemented, have a limit: a given political system can only manage up to a certain level of complexity.
When that maximum level is reached, fragility becomes a key property of the system, and the system will one day break apart. Suddenly. Completely. The Soviet political system was unable to bear the complexity driven by the Western world in the 1980’s; and to manage the inherent complexity of the modern world (as shown by the Tchernobyl accident investigation). The French political system in the 1700’s became unable to manage the increasing complexity and globalization of the world. The French Revolution and decades of instability ensued.
Sometimes (rarely), political institutions succeed in reforming themselves before reaching a critical level of fragility.
Our current representative democracies are probably the most elaborate political system, and can manage a far higher level of complexity than any of the previous political institutions. We can see everyday that autocratic regimes are overwhelmed by much lower levels of complexity. Still, the question is now, whether it can manage the level of complexity we are reaching globally?
I fear that it is not the case and that currently, we are reaching uncomfortable levels of institutional fragility. Representative democracy might need to be replaced by (or, evolve in) a new political system that will be better to deal with the current level of complexity – by choice or by default if we reach the limits before we can change. That new system needs to leverage better on networks and direct democracy. It needs to be much more global.
Let’s start now to build this new political system, before the increasing fragility of the previous one creates dramatic consequences.
