An Ideal Government

Alan Cai

April 15, 2022

Around 375 BC, Plato wrote his famed Republic, a work concerning the just treatment of a government’s citizens and an ideal form of city-state management. In the present day, it is undoubted that a democratically-elected representative government ought to be the most effective system, yet many instances of democracy’s shortcomings have reared their subtle heads. John F. Kennedy admitted to the Soviet Union bloc when they erected the Berlin Wall, “Freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect, but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in, to prevent them from leaving us.” Indeed, the first reason listed in the Preamble to the United States constitution was, “to form a more perfect Union.” It is evident however, that both observations leave room for a superior form of government to exist. This article aims to explore the validity of such an argument, and decide whether modern systems are certainly the most consummate mankind can produce.

The first form of government to be considered is a triple-layered representative democratic republic. The first layer would be a chamber of representatives elected from electoral districts throughout the region. This body forms the lawmaking arm and is congregated in a similar way as modern-day parliaments and congresses. Members of this chamber should be routinely refreshed and re-selected in order to best represent the interests of the people. From this body, certain individuals the chamber deems wise and capable of prolonged correct judicial and political judgment will be promoted and appointed with a majority confirmation to a smaller committee serving as such for life. This committee of superiors has the ability to appoint and collectively approve a chief, serving as the head of the executive arm of the government and the supreme commander of the military. The chief must not be a sitting or former member of this smaller committee. 

For this first form, laws would be sent from the chamber to the committee through a minority approval and passed on from the committee to the chief with a supermajority approval. The chief must execute all laws passed by the committee and will have a term expiration at four years. The chief may hold no government office after the expiration of the office. Benefits of this system include the fact that the head of state is chosen based on wisdom and trust from the committee of superiors. The elected roots of this government will also always ensure it to be refrained from alienation from the people. Finally, the term limitations and removal from potential future office ensures no political pressure and little room for corruption at the highest level of government. If such mishandlings do occur, they will be resolved quickly. Setbacks of this system include the fact that the chief loses elected legitimacy and is not installed based on the will of the people. There may additionally be corruption within the higher levels of government given the absence of  a civilian electorate oversight.

The second form of government is an elected democracy with executive authority vested in an artificial intelligence. Similar to a parliamentary system, a group of representatives will be elected from different regions to make laws. However, the executive and judicial function of the state would be automated by artificial intelligence. Using scholarly uncontroversial constitutional interpretations, historical judicial decisions, and other manually inputted evidence, the artificial intelligence executes any legislation without veto authority submitted by a supermajority legislature, and guides all judicial decisions based on its consistent interpretation of legal standings and the constitution. The benefits of this system include an inherent immunity to corruption, a consistent and efficient legal standpoint, and wisdom with regards to the executive functions of the head of state. The sole issue with this system is its current lack of pragmatism in the sense that the incorporation of such an artificial intelligence, the ability of it to be continuously functioning without interruption, its resilience to state sponsored altercations to its mechanisms, and its acceptance from the civilian populace as well as the international community may all receive difficulty.

The final form of government to be discussed is the tri-council government. Similar to a three-branched government system, the tri-council system of government would contain a legislative, executive, and judicial branch of government. However, the executive branch will be divided into three key policy drivers, each focusing solely on designated responsibilities.

One member of the final form would be in charge of military affairs, with the military unable to exercise any armed movements within the country. This member would also be in charge of foreign affairs as needed. The second member would be in charge of economic policy, managing the treasuries and trade of the country while managing domestic policy. The final member would be the legal representative of the group, in charge of federal law enforcement, the appointment of jurors, and representing the executive with regards to legal matters. The benefits of this government include the fact that there will be less power centralized upon one person and that policy execution would only be executed by an expert upon the matter at hand. Setbacks include disastrous relinquishes of responsibility, power struggles, and potential imbalances among the triumvirate.

Many additional fabulous proposals exist that may rival modern functionalities of democratic systems. The right to self-determination will eventually force all governments to evolve into a superior form of itself. The progression of how the government controls the people and itself will always be dynamically changing to fit their political, military, and economic situations. Thus, only time will tell which systems prevail, and which systems will fail.