Heather Cox Richardson
Over all the torrent of news these days is a fundamental struggle about the nature of human government. Is democracy still a viable form of government, or is it better for a country to have a strongman in charge?
Democracy stands on the principle of equality for all people, and those who are turning away from democracy, including the right wing in the United States, object to that equality. They worry that equal rights for women and minorities—especially LGBTQ people—will undermine traditional religion and traditional power structures. They believe democracy saps the morals of a country and are eager for a strong leader who will use the power of the government to reinforce their worldview.
But empowering a strongman ends oversight and enables those in power to think of themselves as above the law. In the short term, it permits those in power to use the apparatus of their government to enrich themselves at the expense of the people of their country. Their supporters don’t care: they are willing to accept the cost of corruption so long as the government persecutes those they see as their enemies. But that deal is vulnerable when it becomes clear the government cannot respond to an immediate public crisis.
That equation is painfully clear right now in Turkey and Syria, where more than 380,000 people are homeless after Monday’s devastating earthquakes. The death toll has climbed to more than 23,000, and more than 78,000 are injured. So far. Just a month ago, Turkey’s president President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan promised that the country had the fastest and most effective system of response to disaster in the world.
But that promise has been exposed as a lie. As Jen Kirby pointed out in Vox yesterday, Erdoğan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), who have been moving the country toward autocracy, rose to power thanks to a construction boom in the 2010s that both drove economic growth and permitted Erdoğan to hand out contracts to his supporters. The collapse of more than 6,400 buildings in Monday’s quakes have brought attention to cost cutting and bribery to get around building codes. At the same time, since a big quake in 1999, homeowners have been paying an earthquake tax that should, by now, have been worth tens of billions of dollars, but none of that money seems to be available, and Erdoğan won’t say where it went.
“This is a time for unity, solidarity,” Erdoğan told reporters. “In a period like this, I cannot stomach people conducting negative campaigns for political interest.” He has shut down media coverage of the crisis and cracked down on social media as well. Elections in Turkey are scheduled for May 14. Erdoğan was already facing a difficult reelection.
In Syria, President Bashar al-Assad also has to deal with the horrific scenario. Aid groups are having trouble getting assistance to hard-hit areas controlled by opponents of the regime during the country’s ongoing civil war. Assad has blamed western sanctions, imposed against his regime because of its murder of his opponents, for the slow response to the earthquake, but his government has blocked western aid to areas controlled by his opposition. The U.S. has issued a six-month sanctions exemption for relief in Syria.
Russia is also in trouble as its recent invasion of Ukraine has resulted in a protracted war, but it maintains it will continue to extend its new imperial project. On Tuesday, Ramzan Kadyrov, a close ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, spoke openly of attacking Poland after conquering Ukraine. It was time, he said, for the West to fall to its knees before Russia, and he predicted Ukraine would be Russia’s before the end of 2023. Poland is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and an attack on it would bring the rest of the NATO countries, including the U.S., to its aid.
Today, Moldova, a former Soviet republic of about 2.6 million people that borders Ukraine and has been under tremendous pressure from Russia, enduring soaring inflation, an inflow of Ukrainian refugees, and power cuts after Russian attacks on Ukraines’ grid, saw its government resign. That government has worked to move closer to European allies and has applied for admission to the European Union. Russia has sought to destabilize that government and has recently appeared to be planning to invade the country. Moldovan president Maia Sandu has nominated a new prime minister, one that intends to continue orienting the country toward Europe.
The U.S. has stood solidly against Russia’s ambitions, but our own right wing is increasingly supportive of Putin, liking his stand against LGBTQ people, his embrace of religion, and his ruthless determination to impose that vision on his country. Yesterday the president and chief executive officer of Elon Musk’s SpaceX admitted the company has blocked the ability of Ukrainian troops to use the Starlink satellite system to advance against Russia. In October, Musk drew fire for proposing a “peace” plan that would give Russia the territory it has claimed from Ukraine.
Meanwhile, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil met with President Joe Biden at the White House today. (His predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, an ally of former president Trump, staged a coup against Lula and is now hanging out in Florida hoping to score a U.S. tourist visa.) In their meeting, Biden and Lula emphasized democracy.
Biden noted that both democracies had been tested lately and that we stand together, rejecting political violence and putting great value in our democratic institutions: the rule of law, freedom, and equality.
Through an interpreter, Lula expanded on what that means. He noted that Brazil had “self-marginalized” under Bolsonaro, rejecting the world and turning inward. But, he said, “Brazil is a country that people enjoy peace, democracy, work, and Carnival, and samba, and a lot of joy. This is the Brazil that we’re trying to reposition in the world.” He called for making sure no more right-wing insurrections undermine our democracies, as well as fighting racism “so that we can guarantee some dreams for the youth.” He called for protecting the natural world to combat climate change, and creating a world governance to enable us to work together against existential threats.
“This is not a government program,” Lula said. “This is a faith commitment of someone that believes in humanism, someone that believes in solidarity. I don’t want to live in a world where humans become algorithms. I want to live in a world where human beings are human beings. And for that, we have to take care very carefully what God gave us: that is the planet Earth.”
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https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/turkey-syria-earthquake-updates-2-9-23-intl/index.html
https://www.vox.com/world/2023/2/9/23591279/turkey-earthquake-erdogan-response-elections
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/02/08/twitter-restrictions-turkey-earthquake-aftermath/
https://www.euronews.com/2023/01/23/turkeys-erdogan-announces-elections-will-be-held-on-may-14
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/09/1155647266/turkey-earthquake-erdogan-government-response-criticism
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkiye-has-the-most-effective-intervention-system-in-disasters-erdogan-179932
https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/turkey-syria-earthquake-updates-2-10-23-intl/h_84be5d5c70a0b901d5f800b6033fc97a
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/02/09/earthquake-syria-sanctions-assad/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/10/us-issues-sanctions-general-exemption-for-aid-to-syria
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/02/10/remarks-by-president-biden-and-president-lula-da-silva-of-brazil-before-bilateral-meeting/
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/brazils-lula-visits-white-house-as-he-tries-to-counter-rising-threat-to-democracy
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/moldovan-prime-minister-announces-government-resignation-2023-02-10/
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/10/1156220965/moldova-prime-minister-resigns-new-government
https://www.politico.eu/article/moldova-government-resign-pro-european-union-natalia-gavrilita/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/09/politics/spacex-ukrainian-troops-satellite-technology/index.html
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/spacex-curbed-ukraines-use-starlink-internet-drones-company-president-2023-02-09/
https://www.thedailybeast.com/top-putin-ally-ramzan-kadyrov-says-he-will-not-hide-intention-to-invade-poland-anymore
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3851495-house-briefing-on-china-spy-balloon-turns-tense-with-greene-questions-i-chewed-them-out/
https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/earthquake_turkey_press_freedom.php
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/10/04/elon-musk-draws-fire-russia-friendly-ukraine-proposal/’
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/02/07/earthquake-turkey-syria-causes-damage/
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/08/1155518428/aid-groups-are-having-difficulty-help-areas-under-the-control-of-the-regime-in-s
@phranny saidProgressivism is more viable, and quite scary. I just saw an article that White Supremacy is not the problem (for Black America), Progressivism is.
Heather Cox Richardson
Over all the torrent of news these days is a fundamental struggle about the nature of human government. Is democracy still a viable form of government, or is it better for a country to have a strongman in charge?
Democracy stands on the principle of equality for all people, and those who are turning away from democracy, including the right wing in t ...[text shortened]... 23/02/08/1155518428/aid-groups-are-having-difficulty-help-areas-under-the-control-of-the-regime-in-s
Am I wrong, or are progressives really coming after everyone's stuff...."for the common good', I presume.
@averagejoe1 saidYes, you are wrong. You have posted nothing but your empty opinion. Nothing to back it up.
Progressivism is more viable, and quite scary. I just saw an article that White Supremacy is not the problem (for Black America), Progressivism is.
Am I wrong, or are progressives really coming after everyone's stuff...."for the common good', I presume.
@phranny saidCorrect, my opinion. I think you opined on a thread back in November. No one minded, or noticed. This is a debate after all.
Yes, you are wrong. You have posted nothing but your empty opinion. Nothing to back it up.
You fellers have a penchant for anger. At least, that is my opinion.
@Phranny - said:
"Democracy stands on the principle of equality for all people, and those who are turning away from democracy, including the right wing in the United States, object to that equality. They worry that equal rights for women and minorities—especially LGBTQ people—will undermine traditional religion and traditional power structures. They believe democracy saps the morals of a country and are eager for a strong leader who will use the power of the government to reinforce their worldview."
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With respect to all your work on this thread, I commend you. However, your information is very much in question.
First off, "Democracy" relates to equal VOTE, not equal anything else - that part from your quoted text is pure fallacy.
If a man with superior running skills wins a marathon, he does not win it EQUALLY with other people, he WINS.
Does one get angry because these men and women marathon winners are Kenyan all the time? too bad.
So now these relative rich people (the winners) live amongst the very poor in their home town. Such is life, eh?
@Phranny, I have come to judge you as a hard core socialist, or even a Marxist. It shows, dear.
@earl-of-trumps saidA common denominator among our liberals here is that they are all extremely interested in what other people are doing, what they have, some making more money than others, or making their own paths in life, be it a nominal simple choice, or a choice to be all the success that they can be.
@Phranny - said:
[i]"Democracy stands on the principle of equality for all people, and those who are turning away from democracy, including the right wing in the United States, object to that equality. They worry that equal rights for women and minorities—especially LGBTQ people—will undermine traditional religion and traditional power structures. They believe democra ...[text shortened]... ?
@Phranny, I have come to judge you as a hard core socialist, or even a Marxist. It shows, dear.
I cannot for the life of me see how a guy across town who has 3 cars and a speedboat has anything at all to do with a guy over here who rides a bicycle. But libs just cannot stand that.
I just don't get it.
And the kicker is, as often as their discontent is voiced on the Forum, they never once suggest a way to 'get it how they want it'. Unless of course, go knock on the door of the speedboat guy and confiscate some of his stuff.
That is it in a nutshell.
@earl-of-trumps saidLest we forget, Kamala Harris said that 'at the end of day, everyone should end up in the same place'. That is is Marxism.
@Phranny - said:
@Phranny, I have come to judge you as a hard core socialist, or even a Marxist. It shows, dear.
Hey, Kids, I told you all years ago that Susan Rice is running this country. People think it is George Soros, but he is just moneybags. Susan Rice will be outed soon enough. Of course, Obama is on the phone with our leaders every day, even with Biden on occasion, but Susan Rice is the brains.
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@phranny saidYet, you have posted nothing but someone else's - copied from elsewhere, at interminable length, and without even a TLDR. Are you surprised Joe is too lazy to wade through all that? I know I was, and I'd probably agree if with the conclusion if the rambling didn't @^(! me off so much.
Yes, you are wrong. You have posted nothing but your empty opinion. Nothing to back it up.
@Phranny
Western democracy is a sham. People vote for who they hear about the most and the news media mostly controls that. Money can buy advertising to bypass that but that gives wealthy people the advantage. They have Super PACS to take advantage of their money. Super PACS should be illegal.
There are ways to make democracy viable, but we are not going down that path. We are going down the plutocracy path. The USA is the best democracy money can buy and they bought it. The super wealthy own us. We are their slaves. You can work hard and buy your freedom though. Way back when slavery was the norm some countries allowed slaves to work for their freedom. Not much different.
@earl-of-trumps saidI am neither a socialist nor a marxist. You obviously are ignorant of the definition of either and too lazy to look it up. The U.S. has a representative democratic system with a strong cultural bent towards meritocracy, which is what you are describing. The wealthy in the U.S. are able to accumulate their riches due to the infrastructure the government has provided: roads, bridges, dams, educational institutions, fire and police protection, subsidies. Try growing your business and wealth in a third world country that has few or none of the above. I am a capitalist. However, just like a spectator sport, there need to be rules to the game. Many on this site are authoritarian fascists who want to eliminate all rules and regulations while you still want all the benefits of that infrastructure.
@Phranny - said:
[i]"Democracy stands on the principle of equality for all people, and those who are turning away from democracy, including the right wing in the United States, object to that equality. They worry that equal rights for women and minorities—especially LGBTQ people—will undermine traditional religion and traditional power structures. They believe democra ...[text shortened]... ?
@Phranny, I have come to judge you as a hard core socialist, or even a Marxist. It shows, dear.
@averagejoe1 saidYou are so, so ignorant. Where to begin. Not one liberal on this site has promoted the idea that everyone should have the same amount of "stuff" or wealth. You really are a fool. Nor is that the premise of the Democratic Party.
A common denominator among our liberals here is that they are all extremely interested in what other people are doing, what they have, some making more money than others, or making their own paths in life, be it a nominal simple choice, or a choice to be all the success that they can be.
I cannot for the life of me see how a guy across town who has 3 cars and a speedb ...[text shortened]... nock on the door of the speedboat guy and confiscate some of his stuff.
That is it in a nutshell.
@averagejoe1 saidI have searched and can find no evidence that Harris ever said this. Confirm, please.
Lest we forget, Kamala Harris said that 'at the end of day, everyone should end up in the same place'. That is is Marxism.
Hey, Kids, I told you all years ago that Susan Rice is running this country. People think it is George Soros, but he is just moneybags. Susan Rice will be outed soon enough. Of course, Obama is on the phone with our leaders every day, even with Biden on occasion, but Susan Rice is the brains.
@shallow-blue saidThere is a difference between an informed debate with legitimate research and rants. All of you on the right in this forum just rant. You are too lazy and dumb to do any actual research.
Yet, you have posted nothing but someone else's - copied from elsewhere, at interminable length, and without even a TLDR. Are you surprised Joe is too lazy to wade through all that? I know I was, and I'd probably agree if with the conclusion if the rambling didn't @^(! me off so much.