Democracy in retreat around the world

[pampango]

Source: Financial Times

On taking office for the second time, Mr Bush pledged that America would seek to end “tyranny in our world”, and he prides himself on being a “dissident president”.

Democracy and good governance are on the retreat in a number of countries around the world, a wide-ranging report says on Tuesday. The report, compiled by Freedom House, a US government-supported campaigning organisation, concludes that human rights and governance have worsened in Russia and Iran, arguing that corruption in Iran has intensified in spite of the campaign promises of President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad.

It also indicates that states across the world are attempting to follow the model of China and Russia by seeking to modernise parts of their economy while keeping a central grip on power.

Among the countries that have achieved economic success while maintaining or intensifying what the report identifies as political repression are Libya, Tunisia and Algeria. It adds that Egypt has been both economically unsuccessful and politically repressive and that democratic developments have been stopped in their tracks by coups in Thailand and Bangladesh.

Read more: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/692acca6-6ad8-11dc-9410-0000779fd2ac.html

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Not so sure that freedom is on the march, George. Whether it is China, Russia and Iran or "allies" like Thailand and Egypt things seem to be headed in an undemocratic, more corrupt direction.

[Selatius]

1. There's not much we can do about Russia and China, especially China.

Companies like Wal-Mart, indeed quite a few manufacturing firms that have fired off American workers, need prison labor and cheap labor that authoritarian China provides. They're so cheap precisely because they enjoy weak or no enforcement of labor standards and environmental standards.

[demodonkey]

2. Well, it started with Bush taking office, and I do mean TAKING office...

...HE DID NOT WIN.

Please join the DU Election Reform Forum and learn more. Democracy isn't gone yet, but it sure needs help -- now -- especially in THIS country.

Wake Up Democrats -- we can't stand another one like 2000 or 2004.

[GoneOffShore]

3. And we're causing it

By being consumers, not citizens.

Gotta have that cheap tv or dvd or laptop. Forget about how it's made and why it's so cheap.

[AndyTiedye]

8. And WHERE Are You Going to Buy an American-Made TV, DVD or Laptop?

Can you think of even ONE of the above items that are made in the USA, at ANY price?

Sometimes they don't even tell us when they buy crap from China.
That's what happened with the pet food.

[redqueen]

4. Hell, it's in retreat HERE.

How many in congress are all over the election reform issues?

[robinlynne]

18. exactly.

[tanyev]

5. Mission Accomplished.

[Eurobabe]

6. And Asshat's lecturing the UN about spreading Freedom

around the world. :eyes:

[kineneb]

15. Bush's freedom="free market" not personal freedoms

see... BushCo doesn't believe in freedom for people, only for corporations.

[tom_paine]

7. Bushevik Trickle-Down Tyranny - I saw this coming, too

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/692acca6-6ad8-11dc-9410-0000779fd2ac.html

Gawd, yet another prediction, made waaaaay back in 2001, that the takeover of BushPutinism, which first began in America under Bush, THEN RUssia under Putin started embracing the same kind of Fake Democracy Bushler was putting together over here.

Also, Putin was able to go at his goal more directly, owing to the relative weakness of Russia's traditions of Democracy and Free Elections vs. America's. So he rapidly caught up to and surpassed Lil' Boots.

However, I will say that maybe Putin started it first, but no one paid attention during the sunny final days of the Old American Republic in the late 90s and 2000.

Yes, evil is on the rise, totalitarianism is on the rise, and the Free Peoples of the world are dwindling in number. When America became Amerika and left the Free World, and it may be arrogant to say it, but humanity may have ls it's last, best chance to stop the next Dark Ages and perhaps even extinction.

Sadly, I have seen this coming since early 2001. One must follow the other as surely as Star Wars III must follow Star Wars II, who's storylines are so ancient and iconic, that essentially it is the story WE are living as America becomes Amerika.

[tabasco]

13. The Bush oil mafia rains praise on and supports dictatorships like Saudi Arabia

and vilifies and undermines democracies like Venezuela.

Is it any wonder democracies are in retreat?

When the strongest and wealthiest country in the world becomes a force of greed and evil, the whole world is affected.

We MUST do what we can to make this nation a force for good once again. A partner in the world community and not a superpower bully.

[Solly Mack]

9. Oh, Bush is a dissident alright...he doesn't believe in or agree with - freedom

or liberty or justice

He's just not one of the good guy dissidents.

This isn't a surpise...."democracy retreating"

[pattmarty]

10. Try starting at home, DIPSHIT...........

[Gen. Jack D. Ripper]

11. A truly "dissident president"

He opposes the established practice of reason.

I'm going to venture out a bit and say that GW is the best C&C we've ever had, when it comes to alienating the entire freaking world.

[movonne]

12. After giving democracy to Iraq, people around the world are afraid of

it...thanks bush

[truthisfreedom]

14. Freedom is on the march? Hah. Freedom is on the rocks.

buscho took the constitution to the outhouse and wiped with it.

[txaslftist]

16. Well, they're on the retreat in the US. Seems natural it would spread.

[Hydra]

17. And we are directly responsible for the decline in democracy

We like fake democracy better- people think they have a say in the Gov't, and the leaders get what they want dispite that. A perfect system.