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talkpoliticsInteresting and very thought-provoking article here, worth the read:
Coronavirus, the rise of “acceptable authoritarianism” and the battle for democracy
"Coronavirus has upended the world order and called basic liberal values into question. With authoritarianism on the rise, can democracy as we know it survive?"
Indeed, the Coronavirus could be used by authoritarian leaders as excuse to undermine democracy. In the US a previous presidential administration filled with xenophobes was using the Coronavirus to strengthen border controls it had long planned. In Israel and Singapore, the governments are invoking the crisis over Covid-19 to track movements of people on cellphones.
In Iran, a government obsessed with control has used the epidemic to deploy security forces around the country to clear the streets. Meanwhile in Hungary, a right-wing leader who has built his political career on demonising immigrants has argued that there was a "clear link" between migrants and the Coronavirus.
There are already numerous signs that governments are potentially exploiting the epidemic for their own advantage. Months-long anti-government protests in Iraq, Algeria, and Lebanon that have been a severe thorn in the side of the elites have been suspended. From Brazil to the Philippines to Turkey to parts of the USA to Africa and the Middle East, ideologically-minded national leaders are attempting to exploit the Coronavirus to impose measures they've long sought, even if it imperils lives.
Citing coronavirus fears, some countries have barred family visits for prisoners, including those held on political or security charges.
And autocratic leaders often don't necessarily have the people's best interests in mind when they take all these drastic measures. Just as dictators have used crises such as the 1933 burning of the German Reichstag to concentrate power throughout history, there are grave concerns that the Coronavirus pandemic could be used to impose permanent measures.
Crises like these are risky for democracies more than anything. They provide obvious opportunities for governments to crack down. We really need to pay attention to crisis events that can be used for transitions from democracy to something else.
Coronavirus, the rise of “acceptable authoritarianism” and the battle for democracy
"Coronavirus has upended the world order and called basic liberal values into question. With authoritarianism on the rise, can democracy as we know it survive?"
Indeed, the Coronavirus could be used by authoritarian leaders as excuse to undermine democracy. In the US a previous presidential administration filled with xenophobes was using the Coronavirus to strengthen border controls it had long planned. In Israel and Singapore, the governments are invoking the crisis over Covid-19 to track movements of people on cellphones.
In Iran, a government obsessed with control has used the epidemic to deploy security forces around the country to clear the streets. Meanwhile in Hungary, a right-wing leader who has built his political career on demonising immigrants has argued that there was a "clear link" between migrants and the Coronavirus.
There are already numerous signs that governments are potentially exploiting the epidemic for their own advantage. Months-long anti-government protests in Iraq, Algeria, and Lebanon that have been a severe thorn in the side of the elites have been suspended. From Brazil to the Philippines to Turkey to parts of the USA to Africa and the Middle East, ideologically-minded national leaders are attempting to exploit the Coronavirus to impose measures they've long sought, even if it imperils lives.
Citing coronavirus fears, some countries have barred family visits for prisoners, including those held on political or security charges.
And autocratic leaders often don't necessarily have the people's best interests in mind when they take all these drastic measures. Just as dictators have used crises such as the 1933 burning of the German Reichstag to concentrate power throughout history, there are grave concerns that the Coronavirus pandemic could be used to impose permanent measures.
Crises like these are risky for democracies more than anything. They provide obvious opportunities for governments to crack down. We really need to pay attention to crisis events that can be used for transitions from democracy to something else.
(no subject)
Date: 4/5/21 23:44 (UTC)If a government can't turn a national or international emergency to its advantage it is incompetent. The corollary of which: emergencies should always be used to stifle political opposition...
Still, I trust the NHS; but no longer the BBC.
(no subject)
Date: 4/5/21 23:58 (UTC)And I would assert that Harper was smarter and sneakier than Johnson.
(no subject)
Date: 5/5/21 07:23 (UTC)With Boris and the tories able assistance, he's caged and tamed it now.
(no subject)
Date: 5/5/21 12:41 (UTC)https://bylinetimes.com/2021/05/05/post-nolan-cronyism-the-10-year-conservative-campaign-to-rig-the-public-appointments-system/
(no subject)
Date: 5/5/21 12:48 (UTC)This is, via the IDU, a project spanning dozens of nations across decades, after all...to leave people who think as we do with nowhere safe to turn to.
(no subject)
Date: 5/5/21 10:24 (UTC)Impressive typo aside, this effect only occurs if you compare the relatively free speech leaking out of the US to the censored PR feeds deliberately released out of China.
(no subject)
Date: 7/5/21 18:36 (UTC)