The establishment of the rule of law is of paramount importance to the process of democratization. The acceptance of the precept that there is an independent body of law, and no one is above the law, is essential to the establishment of a government of and by the people. Only when presidents, kings, queens, and other rulers are subject to a higher law, can communism, fascism, and other dictatorships be eliminated and democracy prosper. If democracy is to be established in the countries of the former Soviet Union and if those countries are to succeed economically, there must be a commitment to the rule of law.