49th ABS Annual Conference

Bahá’ís are enjoined to “[b]e anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in,” while remaining resolutely non-partisan and committed to constructive, unifying methodologies for social change. Navigating these two imperatives is an area of learning for all Bahá’ís, particularly at a time when ever-more issues are being defined and fought over by contentious partisan voices. Academics in the field of political science may face particular challenges in this regard, and gain unique insights. This panel discussion, arising out of an ongoing conversation between Bahá’í political scientists, aims to share some of those insights.

One of the prevalent discourses of society involves the bankruptcy of old conceptions of power and leadership and the need for a new paradigm. The Writings of the Faith, especially those of Abdu’l-Baha have many constructive ideas to offer. It is heartening to observe that even as the old world order rapidly unravels, glimmerings of new concepts of power and leadership aligned with the Writings are emerging in various academic, business, and spaces concerned with societal governance at all levels. This growing convergence points to the appearance of Abdu’l-Baha’s second candle of unity: unity of thought in world undertakings.

In this presentation I explain how a Bahá’í discourse can offer a timely, comprehensive, and above all viable alternative to the principal theory informing international relations, namely political realism. This Bahá’í alternative provides the theoretical condition of possibility for a lasting, all-inclusive global peace. Drawing on the writings of Baha’u’llah, in addition to those of ʻAbdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and the Universal House of Justice, I unpack the Baha’i prerequisites for world peace, in the process mapping out the contours of an alternative global order upon which such a peace can be realized and sustained. It will be argued here that, at this juncture in history, achieving global peace is within sight despite the current status quo in international affairs. However, what remains to be seen is whether this peace can be attained through global deliberation or upon suffering an unprecedented global calamity.

This session explores the distinctiveness of the Bahá’í approach to democracy. It begins by reviewing arguments concerning the fragility of democracy in classical political theory and diagnoses its current plight in modern political science. Then, focusing on the Guardian’s statement that the Administrative Order “blends and harmonizes… the salutary truths” of recognized systems of government, it considers five dimensions of the Bahá’í system that stand in productive contrast with mainstream conceptions of democracy. The goal is not to merely critique these conceptions, but rather to suggest ways in which to advance our capacity to articulate a distinctive contribution to discourse.