A Window to the World Student Reporter 2219 Lee Suhyun For me, studying AP Comparative Politics and Government(AP CPG) was like a destiny. I was interested in politics and diplomacy, and also the culture of different nations. So AP CPG was perfect chance for me in a sense that I could learn about politics and diplomacy of various nations(Great Britain, Mexico, Nigeria, China, Russia, and Iran) and based on it, their culture too. Learning about how these 6 countries actually work was difficult but rewarding, because I was able to think about what Korea should do to make sure that the government serves people’s will faithfully and not corrupt. Koreans would want to believe, and some actually think that Korea has successfully ended totalitarianism and is developed like Great Britain. Sadly for those, I think Korea’s current situation is rather similar to that of Mexico or Russia, where democracy is not as developed as that of Great Britain. In Great Britain, the power of prime minister and the legislature body dominates the other body, so there is no such thing as ‘saparation of power’. Instead, it is a fusion of power. Also, its law system is not based on civil law, or written law, but on common law. This system seems unstable because the prime minister has too much power, but Great Britain has maintained great democratic efficiency over a long period of time. In contrast, Russia and Mexico’s constitution guarantees separation of power and sets a limit to the president’s authority. Despite this fact, the president’s power dominates the all three governmental bodies. This suggests that even though the system is good, people’s awareness, the attitude of people towards the government is what matters. The experience of studying AP CPG acted like a window to the world. The governmental systems were all different, but one thing was common; a country goes well only when it is in hand of all the people, not only the few powerful. This is the lesson that Korea now has to learn. We now has to give the power back to all the Korean people.