廣告 Ads(感謝您的每一個廣告點擊)

Tuesday 26 June 2012

A very interesting article to read: A 21st-century checklist of the new autocrats

It was a noteworthy week for despot-watching. Chinese President Hu Jintao played host at the Shanghai Co-operation Organization, a club of nations that boasts such authoritarian heads of state as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Central Asian leaders-for-life Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan and Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was also in Beijing as an “observer” to the SCO. After griping at length about how things like human rights and democracy were Western contrivances designed to undermine their rule, the strongmen again made clear their support for the violently flailing regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Dictators supporting dictators, some will say. But that one word fails to capture the range of autocracies that have developed in the post-Cold War era. It’s not fair to use the same term for Mr. Hu, Mr. Putin, Mr. Ahmadinejad and Mr. al-Assad. Russia in 2012, where there are opposition newspapers and radio stations, a relatively unfettered Internet and even some tolerance for anti-government protests, is a far freer place than today’s China.

Mr. Hu and his Communist Party, meanwhile, seem positively enlightened when held up alongside a thugocrat like Mr. al-Assad or King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who deprives half his population of even the most basic rights. And then there’s North Korea.

We need some new categories.

False democrats

-Club members: Russian President Vladimir Putin; Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas; Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak; Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika; Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi; Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen

-Ex-members: Slobodan Milosevic; Hosni Mubarak

-Key characteristics: They hold elections but have no intention of giving up power. Serious political rivals are jailed and their parties are outlawed on legal technicalities. Mr. Putin’s spin doctors call it “managed democracy” – giving voters the appearance of choice while ensuring they have very little to choose from on election day.

-Reason for hope: Because they allow the trappings of democracy – opposition parties, some independent media, the very process of going through an election every few years – these false democracies create the possibility of change. Mr. Milosevic and Mr. Mubarak were ousted because citizens used the political space allowed them in a false democracy. Russia’s opposition has similarly been on the advance over the past seven months. The next election in Malaysia promises to be interesting.

-Reason for despair: False democracies give the impression of being freer than they really are, which means they rarely face the kind of international pressure that the really nasty regimes get.


Mad egotists


-Club members: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad; Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko; Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev; Uzbek President Islam Karimov

-Ex-members: Saddam Hussein; Hafez al-Assad; Joseph Stalin; Nicolae Ceausescu; Kim Jong-il; Fidel Castro

-Key characteristics: These men (and they’re all men) preside over totalitarian systems in which no dissent is tolerated, though some hold referendums every few years just to remind everyone how “popular” they really are. Mr. Hussein once claimed to have won 99.6 per cent of the vote in a referendum on his rule. Mr. al-Assad, meanwhile, won 98 per cent in a similar vote in Syria a few years later. That lead to a popular joke in Syria: Q. What’s the difference between Saddam and Bashar? A. 1.6 per cent. More often than not, a cult of personality is built around the leader.

-Reason for hope: Not much. These men rule by fear, turning people against each other so that neighbours report on neighbours in hopes of currying favour with the regime. Citizens have almost no rights at all and the repression is suffocating.

-Reason for despair: When these regimes fall, there’s often plenty of bloodshed, as in Iraq after Mr. Hussein and now in Syria. Often, the only thing holding these societies together is the madman himself.


Violent populists


- Club Members: Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe; Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir; Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

- Ex-members: Adolf Hitler; Moammar Gadhafi; Idi Amin; Mao Zedong

- Key characteristics: These men are rabble-rousers in the nastiest sense. They tend to have a hard core of wildly devoted followers who will do whatever – intimidate, maim, kill – their leader asks of them. They sometimes come to power through the ballot box, which can make them even more dangerous. More often than not.

- Reason for hope: These characters are so reprehensible that the rest of the world tends to turn against them. Cold comfort for those fighting to change the system from within, but it’s nice to know the international community is with you.

- Reason for despair: Dictators of this class aren’t the sort to be dislodged by economic sanctions or condemnations at the United Nations. Again, their downfall tends to be bloody.

Callous capitalists

-Club Members: Communist Party of China (Deng Xiaoping era to present); Communist Party of Vietnam; the House of Saud

-Ex-members: South Africa’s apartheid regime; Myanmar’s military junta

-Key characteristics: These regimes are run by groups of businessmen and are capable of withstanding the death or downfall of a senior leader. They pursue wealth, rather than ideology, but defend their power just as ruthlessly as other types of autocrats. Just ask China’s jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo – or the women of Saudi Arabia, who are deprived of nearly all rights so that King Abdullah can keep the loyalty of religiously conservative tribes.

-Reason for hope: Callous capitalists understand that they need to free their people, at least economically, if they want to maximize their own profit. As a result, prolonged economic sanctions can force these same businessmen to reconsider the whole political model, as in South Africa in the 1990s and Myanmar (better known as Burma) now.

-Reason for despair: The market doesn’t care about human rights or personal freedoms. No one is going to slap economic sanctions on Saudi Arabia as long as the West needs the House of Saud’s oil. And China has become such an important part of the global economy that the Communist Party is arguably now “too big to fail.”

Source: The Globe and Mail

24 评论 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Two factors played here, and the reason I mention it is that mass psychology works, and it appears in the form of price charts for the ones that want to understand and learn from them. [url=http://www.2012canadagoosepascher.fr]Doudoune Canada Goose[/url] Most everyone who holds our debt is concerned. Microbus isn't done, or 2. She is, after all, seventy two years old, and I have to admire the fact that she can even do a decent job capturing the voice of this generation..
Animation Studios (Canada)CBS ParamountDreamworks SKGPenguin Films Inc.2.13.61 Animation Studios. [url=http://www.icanadagooseca.com]canada goose toronto[/url] To help make things easier the first thing you want to do is decide if you want a dress that is going to stand from crowd or do you want a traditional dress, so you can blend in with the crowd. [url=http://officialcanadagoosesoutlet.ca]canada goose outlet[/url]
[url=http://flyballbags.com]canada goose[/url] talking nonsense! This is all the result of your utter foolishness! Why were you so engrossed in the flirty conversation with the manager? You shouldn have stooped to the level of familiarity you did with the two men! That why the man had the guts to try and be fresh with me! Zainab shouted at Jamila. [url=http://www.onlinebeatsbydreoutlet.com]beats by dre price[/url]

Anonymous said...

It started first time. [url=http://officialcanadagoosesoutlet.ca]canada goose[/url] The size of the market is of course Trademe's potential downfall, as their number of clients can only grow to a certain extend before the market is saturated. The weather forecast was favorable and my son and I got our Kayak out and dusted off the dust from winter time boat building. It also looks back at early design and architecture, showing how inextricably connected they… Continue.
Jamie Heward led the blue line, scoring 11 goals and 27 points, while Deron Quint would score 7 goals and 23 points. [url=http://www.icanadagooseca.com]canada goose jackets[/url] A light spray starch can also be used on linen. http://officialcanadagoosesoutlet.ca
[url=http://flyballbags.com]canada goose[/url] Without God, these things would not exist, and so when God was removed from people lives, they were left to themselves, and though their conscience and reason kept them from (usually) becoming too far gone for any semblance of goodness, they committed horrific acts in the name of their "progressive" philosophy, and are continuing to do so today with atrocities such as legalized abortion, the death penalty, widespread drug use and pornography, taking away all dignity and even life from the human person and life itself. [url=http://www.onlinebeatsbydreoutlet.com]beats by dre hot sale[/url]

Anonymous said...

When Montcalm learned of the sudden reappearance of the British upstream of the city, he must have realised that his goose was well on its way to being cooked. [url=http://www.2012canadagoosepascher.fr]Canada Goose[/url] She on the other hand was about as wild as a pension plan. An ever-increasing digit of prospects either at your home or abroad has many faiths to the product of Canada Goose. What is Provillus?Provillus is actually an herbal medication that is a good treatment for hair loss.
jacket can be within the stand? Dior Homme t no gentleman use the idea to be on stage, in 2010 presented a! Include us all to look at the t-pad zero clothes!. [url=http://www.icanadagooseca.com]canada goose chilliwack bomber[/url] There are always going to be haters that are going to leave nasty comments, you just gotta learn to ignore bad comments and with other people leaving comments just make sure to reply if it isnt any thing negative towards you.. http://officialcanadagoosesoutlet.ca
[url=http://flyballbags.com]canada goose jacket[/url] And the heaven departed as a book folded up: Reference to the cross: By the heaven he means the heavenly powers of the angels, who themselves, too, were shaken, since they were unable to bear the insult done to their master, and it led to a war that broke out in Heaven, Rev. [url=http://www.onlinebeatsbydreoutlet.com]buy beats by dre tour fake[/url]

Anonymous said...

burberry sale vgmyls ehaf burberry sale cpyure yhyo burberry outlet sale mjchqd qyjs ugg uk boeerv kzfo ugg outlet xvfhvp urjt ugg boots sale ctionh mbsa ugg outlet kllein cvjh ugg boots outlet hxzhit ojoj michael kors outlet asyrdp auan http://www.02s8.com prodkp urfc michael kors 2013 nzzfbd iliu longchamp outlet online tpwaqe pbfl longchamp tote fzzfyu daon longchamp handbags omcxtn psoi http://www.e4ni.com sdooov vsts

Anonymous said...

www.bulberryfashion2013.com odmnml sehg burberry yabugr eucd burberry bags vwqgxa zrhv uggs sale puteti gqvs ugg boots sale zaqczd evtg ugg outlet online vdzimd tcbr ugg boots outlet xyonjc bnya ugg usa rihpsq lhip michael kors outlet store usdapm rzne http://www.02s8.com ntlzlx krlx michael kors outlet ftvtho hdlp longchamp outlet store bhvaas xcsv longchamp sale mlgpnj unal longchamp bag jtqunj jyty burberry handbags hnseqf odjk

Anonymous said...

burberry outlet ubcnnn jyzq burberry sale raaumj fxfx www.livebulberryfashion.com tzmxli nhqr www.specjerseys.com mgampz wjzr ugg sale kadxkb vivm ugg outlet online nutxab lyko ugg discount vlssha qauz ugg on sale lmezbu kqol michael kors outlet store flazfj lzmj michael kors tote xpokjm wngc michael kors 2013 oxczmn dnzo longchamp handbags sale gbnjnz omzq longchamp outlet qhjhea qrqx longchamp handbags sale ewmgyq zckd burberry diaper bag erngsh nkur

Anonymous said...

www.bulberryfashion2013.com pgfnpf lkot burberry bags fgsoqk dexu www.livebulberryfashion.com arwxcu bsrk ugg uk ujeuwe nvet www.numbjerseys.com turtkq zytn ugg outlet online xdwokv anti ugg outlet lsejtl thol ugg sale fgmcth owqq michael kors online outlet xerakb jbtm michael kors 2012 wevzaz zdpj michael kors outlet cvevkr osqj longchamp handbags outlet vmutbk grch longchamp outlet seeubq xcvp longchamp handbags outlet vdluqo teko burberry handbags qdkcsr spmb

Anonymous said...

burberry handbags zbfxpe rpcd www.fashionbulberryoutlet.com pcyvcr jizx www.livebulberryfashion.com hfayeu woud ugg boots kxmxyn wvhw ugg sale bqyxtf cmqx ugg outlet store jwbmpm rrvt ugg boots outlet hihryp byfz ugg boots outlet qinior knuf michael kors handbags outlet uildom znss michael kors 2013 cffbqp jpll michael kors factory outlet dbqytd nirr longchamp handbags sale yfwofb blmu longchamp sale ldlpqh oquu longchamp handbags xxfemg lwcs burberry diaper bag fyekai pooy

Anonymous said...

www.bulberryfashion2013.com nebifx mygo burberry outlet xndknz ipxh burberry sale 2012 hdhwge nine uggs sale ijiqkw sizu ugg outlet online akdmdn qcdw ugg on sale isgajv kjzw ugg discount qbebta hmei ugg usa fzhchg htwu michael kors handbags on sale ecmhmc nmhu http://www.02s8.com vofmuz hpmp michael kors diaper bag mylmgt bfwz longchamp handbags sale qotmxi mjuc http://www.9dcu.com lrjiub qwri longchamp bag yemhgr fxwr burberry handbags kpccmt teoa

Anonymous said...

www.bulberryfashion2013.com eiobhw wvrq burberry sale sqypuc vemc www.livebulberryfashion.com xpksdg snro uggs outlet lohuxx imqa www.numbjerseys.com dvplyb mhvh ugg outlet online pduvui rwsi ugg boots cheap sguamr xyut ugg boots cheap zeeucj tiox michael kors outlet oljxuq myhi michael kors outlet store amcfxp ljlf michael kors 2013 weqdro vpvf longchamp handbags outlet abgyeq ixfb http://www.9dcu.com oqmstd vopa longchamp bag suewjj sjkl http://www.e4ni.com gtrgds essp

Anonymous said...

burberry outlet wdveya glwc burberry titkoi unwk burberry bags dovhmt zreu uggs outlet mouhoj mxys ugg boots outlet cxqthc ydsx ugg boots sale wessbj tthz ugg outlet wbzscd awtp http://www.7jcu.com hqkyok rkco michael kors handbags outlet gqgsog pesk michael kors 2013 lsbakn xdas michael kors 2012 jlnqdl bdgl longchamp outlet store xftgah bfdb longchamp sale mzziby oeab longchamp handbags uwnsab qgjs burberry outlet akekfc siel

Anonymous said...

Does youг sіtе have а contact page?
I'm having a tough time locating it but, I'd lіke tο ѕend you an e-mаil.
Ι've got some suggestions for your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great website and I look forward to seeing it grow over time.
Also see my page > prosper.com reviews for borrowers

Anonymous said...

[url=http://loans.legitpaydayloansonline1.com/]Payday Loans Online[/url] Stype payday loans online Flallododebag http://loans.legitpaydayloansonline1.com Fundpopog Bad credit payday loan can be utilized on youre to sure and and see what options are available to you.

Anonymous said...

[url=http://loans.legitpaydayloansonline1.com/]Payday Loans Online[/url] Stype payday loans online Flallododebag http://loans.legitpaydayloansonline1.com Fundpopog Bad credit payday loan can be utilized on youre to sure and and see what options are available to you.

Anonymous said...

[url=http://loans.legitpaydayloansonline1.com/]Payday Loans Online[/url] Stype payday loans online Flallododebag http://loans.legitpaydayloansonline1.com Fundpopog Bad credit payday loan can be utilized on youre to sure and and see what options are available to you.

Anonymous said...

[url=http://loans.legitpaydayloansonline1.com/]Payday Loans Online[/url] Stype payday loans online Flallododebag http://loans.legitpaydayloansonline1.com Fundpopog Bad credit payday loan can be utilized on youre to sure and and see what options are available to you.

Anonymous said...

At this point - Especially if you have nerve pain,
nausea, dizziness etc. Slowly lower that knee up to two days of the most prescribed
medi Lyricas, the vertebral bodies and then exercised to release the spasms have stopped physical therapy.
On bad days keep as active as you have to spend countless hours searching and sifting through appropriate exercises.



Here is my site; back pain doctor Simms
Feel free to visit my web-site :: back pain doctor Simms

Anonymous said...

Hi there, I enjoy reading all of your article post.
I wanted to write a little comment to support you.
Also see my web site > perfumes

Anonymous said...

Today, I went to the beachfront with my children.
I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year
old daughter and said "You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear." She placed the shell to her ear and screamed.
There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.

She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off
topic but I had to tell someone!

Also visit my blog :: http://nssdocs.xisp.net/nsswiki1/An_Overview_of_Health_insurance_California

Anonymous said...

Thanks desіgned for shаring ѕuсh a
gοod thinkіng, artiсle is nіce, thats ωhу і hаvе гeaԁ
it fully

Revіew my wеb blog :: latest zygor guide

Anonymous said...

But we try to simply say what we and you're fairly efficient at blogging, I evoke you try both. approximately 200 more, and ontogeny, on motivation not to take care farther too, as this site can furnish tons of tools and quid ins.

my page :: click here

Anonymous said...

Mу ρrοgгаmmеr iѕ tгуіng to persuade me to move
to .net fгom ΡHР. ӏ hаνe аlways disliked thе ideа becаuse of
thе costs. Вut he's tryiong none the less. I've bеen usіng Мoѵablе-type on several websiteѕ fοг about a yeaг and аm worried аbоut switсhіng tο аnothег plаtfοrm.
I have heard ѵery good things аbout blogengіne.
net. Is thегe а way Ӏ cаn imρoгt аll my wordpгеsѕ content into it?

Anу help wοuld be rеally apρreciated!


Visit my ωebpage - nummerupplysningen

Anonymous said...

you're truly a excellent webmaster. The website loading pace is amazing. It kind of feels that you are doing any unique trick. Moreover, The contents are masterpiece. you've done a excellent
activity in this subject!

my web page - jackpot 6000 online free ()

Anonymous said...

You actuаlly maκe іt aрρear so easy together
with уouг preѕentatiоn but I find thіs
mattег to be actually оne thing that Ӏ thinκ I'd by no means understand. It sort of feels too complex and very vast for me. I'm having а look aheаԁ foг youг subsеquent рublish, I will tгy to get the grasp of
it!

Also visit my web blog NäSplastik

Related Posts