Recently there has been much crowing/bemoaning, depending on the writer’s political inclinations, about liberal democracy’s 2022 fightback against and possible vanquishing of the forces which have been assailing it, since 2016 especially.
Are we pretending the West isn’t full of illiberal democracies? Btw, that’s kind of what a republic is, but leaving that aside…the policy preferences of the voters in America have exactly zero influence over the policies enacted by the federal government. Princeton demonstrated this years ago.
Russia and Turkey still have elections. Can’t say that about Ukraine. China is a tyrannical joke, but the West almost completely emulated (or is currently trying to emulate) their insane social and health policies. The unelected EU commission that really holds the power in that structure is increasingly dictating life in the EU to member states and undertaking continental foreign policy in contravention of its mandate. How is that democratic or liberal? Seems more Soviet.
How is trying to kill Julian Assange with endless lawfare the behavior of a liberal democracy? How is Washington D.C. rounding up political prisoners at an entrapment exercise liberal democracy? How is suspending habeas corpus for “terrorists” and then calling everyone from pipeline protesters to black radicals to militias to concerned parents at a school board “terrorists” part of liberal democracy? How is unilaterally bombing Yemen without a declaration of war to enable the continuation of a genocide in flagrant violation of the supposed rules-based order consistent with liberal democracy? Or deputizing Big Tech (under threat of regulation and with the aid of many ex-federal agents within their employment structures) to carry out what would be illegal censorship of the free and open internet?
I could do this all day, but I believe I’ve made my point. All of these distinctions are silly. States are states, and they behave badly always. The rest is window-dressing. I don’t see any of these people who are so worried about “democracy” and “our values” doing anything to restore constitutional law, reign in a runaway public sector, secure our elections, or protect our guaranteed rights. In fact, I see them doing the opposite of all those, financed by my money, which they seem to think is their money.
Many fair points, I was using 'liberal democracy' as the commonly understood descriptor, rather than making a judgement on whether they really are liberal democracies.
Are we pretending the West isn’t full of illiberal democracies? Btw, that’s kind of what a republic is, but leaving that aside…the policy preferences of the voters in America have exactly zero influence over the policies enacted by the federal government. Princeton demonstrated this years ago.
Russia and Turkey still have elections. Can’t say that about Ukraine. China is a tyrannical joke, but the West almost completely emulated (or is currently trying to emulate) their insane social and health policies. The unelected EU commission that really holds the power in that structure is increasingly dictating life in the EU to member states and undertaking continental foreign policy in contravention of its mandate. How is that democratic or liberal? Seems more Soviet.
How is trying to kill Julian Assange with endless lawfare the behavior of a liberal democracy? How is Washington D.C. rounding up political prisoners at an entrapment exercise liberal democracy? How is suspending habeas corpus for “terrorists” and then calling everyone from pipeline protesters to black radicals to militias to concerned parents at a school board “terrorists” part of liberal democracy? How is unilaterally bombing Yemen without a declaration of war to enable the continuation of a genocide in flagrant violation of the supposed rules-based order consistent with liberal democracy? Or deputizing Big Tech (under threat of regulation and with the aid of many ex-federal agents within their employment structures) to carry out what would be illegal censorship of the free and open internet?
I could do this all day, but I believe I’ve made my point. All of these distinctions are silly. States are states, and they behave badly always. The rest is window-dressing. I don’t see any of these people who are so worried about “democracy” and “our values” doing anything to restore constitutional law, reign in a runaway public sector, secure our elections, or protect our guaranteed rights. In fact, I see them doing the opposite of all those, financed by my money, which they seem to think is their money.
Many fair points, I was using 'liberal democracy' as the commonly understood descriptor, rather than making a judgement on whether they really are liberal democracies.