What’s Going On?
Poland, Hungary, Turkey, Russia, Israel, India, Italy, Brazil, …, and even the USA; around the world, we are seeing democracies lurching toward autocracy and/or theocracy. A hundred years from now, history will tell us what it was all about. It would help to know now.
Though no common denominator stands out; one of the more common is religion. More specifically, it is right-wing religious groups either leading the charge toward theocracy or being used by would-be autocrats.
In Israel, we see a coalition of right-wing/ultra-orthodox Jewish groups being used to facilitate the clinging to power by the corrupt Netanyahu whom they would use to facilitate the installation of a theocracy. In order for this to all happen; put the judiciary under the executive. Good-by democracy.
In the US, a coalition of right-wing religious groups have successfully loaded the US Supreme Court with a majority of right-wing justices; have gerrymandered electoral districts to the extent democratic elections are impossible in several states, to the extent the states don’t even bother to pretend that they are democracies anymore. These groups gained power by way of the Republican Party’s desperation to remain relevant at any price. Now, they are the Party. Much as in Israel, they made a deal with a would-be autocrat. In the US, a coalition of right-wing religious groups facilitated the election of the corrupt Trump to the presidency in exchange for right-wing justices. Neither they nor Trump ever cared much for democracy. Nor does today’s Republican Party.
In Hungary, Orbán, a right-wing kleptocrat cites ‘Illiberal Christian Democracy’ as policy, and rewrites the constitution to weaken the Judiciary. How does it feel to be illiberal, Hungary?
Poland’s nascent democracy didn’t last long. It lost out to the right-wing Law and Justice party which promptly acted to weaken judicial checks and balances, and partner with the Catholic church. Today, Poland is better described as being illiberal or authoritarian. Change is hard, we know.
Modi ran on anti-corruption, Hindu Nationalism, and cognitive dissonance. All of which go hand-in-glove in India. Elected Prime Minister, Modi set about to weaken the judiciary and make Hinduism the religion of the land.
Erdoğan’s salary is small, but the benefits more than make up for it. Erdoğan is a kleptocrat who has prospered in office. Beyond taking care of himself and his, the faulty construction exposed during the recent earthquake was the direct result of his taking care of those who put him in power. Under Erdoğan, Turkey has reverted to sectarian. Some say transactional. Some say corrupt.
Italy’s relationship with democracy has long been problematic. Long, too, Italy’s working relationship with cognitive dissonance. Recent political movement to the right makes Italy well worth another look. Especially so because of her role in the lead-up to WWII.
Thus far, the partnering of religion and autocracy in its various forms have dominated the obvious correlates. But, when we look at Brazil, religion doesn’t seem to play a significant role. Kleptocracy and autocracy, endemic the region, do. Being a dictator is a dangerous profession that pays well. Bolsonaro knows this well. Being right-wing is usually part of the job description. So, the capture of the judicial system.
There may be other factors that underlie these attacks on democracy; that the above listed correlates are more symptoms than causes.
Over time, history has arced toward the assessment that economics, especially in the form of the Great Depression, played a significant role in the emergence of Nazism and Fascism. After the crash, it was apparent to all that the existent capitalist economic model had failed. After the crash, people everywhere were looking about for alternatives.
By 1929, modern capitalism had held sway for 80 years. For most of those 80 years, people had, to some extent or another, bought in through thick and thin, through low wages and poor working conditions. Maybe capitalism ‘best by’ date expired in 1929. Communism lasted about 70 years. Maybe lies have plausibility lifespans. The big lie about the magic of Free Markets recently recently turned 50. Magic is illusion. Has the illusion expired for Free Markets.
Seems there are limits. Consumerism is foundational to capitalism. Marketing is all about making people want something. How the hell are people to know what they want if no one tells them? In a time of disparity unparalleled in modern times, making people want things that they can’t afford is hurtful. Are we again seeing a search for alternatives because the current economic model isn’t working? Is it probable that now, as in 1929, we do not know what is wrong? That we do know that something is very wrong? That we have been lied to again?
Another plausibility worthy consideration is that in reality oligarchs now control the world; the very wealthy decide who gets to the top in Russia, and elsewhere. That the world has become a plutocracy. That some or all of these things and maybe more are at play.
100 years is too long. We desperately need to know now.
In general the problem appears to be that around a third of the global population are mentally defective imbeciles (or, more politely, ‘authoritarian followers’) who respond to worsening living conditions by persecuting people who are seen as different. Elites are very happy to exploit the defective third to protect themselves against suffering the consequences of subjecting their populations to decades of economic looting. Undermining democratic and legal institutions is invariably a required step to both protect direct elite control and to enable the defective third to engage in endemic persecution of what are often majority populations. The exact details vary by country, but this appears to be the overall picture.
In the United States, it is clear that the oligarchs have adopted anti-democratic theocratic fascism as a means to retain control in the face of collapsing living standards. Telling American Christians that they are poor because god is punishing them for not persecuting Jews/gays/blacks/Satanists enough has proved to be a very effective strategy to prevent the Christians from asking questions about why they can’t afford rent while their boss owns fifty houses. Indeed, it has been such an effective strategy that America’s oligarchs have been exporting the same strategy to US client states.
For its part, the Russian oligarchy also has been heavily supporting antidemocratic movements in an effort to fracture the American empire (or, more politely, to break up the western military alliance) and acquire US-follower states as allies.
The end result is that there is effectively unlimited American and Russian money available to anti-democratic movements globally. This is an offer too good for any would-be theocrat, despot, or criminal elite to ignore.
Examples of this can be found in how Canada’s social conservative movement is controlled from the US, for instance, and Russian-American ties to European reactionary projects (such as Brexit) are quite evident. Russia has also been a very active supporter of authoritarian politics in the undeveloped world, as is evidenced by how much of the undeveloped world has returned the favor by supporting Russia’s genocide in Ukraine. Similarly, Israel has faced declining living standards for some time and has a convenient population of ‘others’ to victimize, making Israel ripe for the same shift towards authoritarianism as a means for elites to escape responsibility for decades of mismanagement and theft.
The declining living standards thesis does not, however, explain the slide towards authoritarianism in China even as that country has been experiencing rising living standards for decades. There is no obvious whole-world answer to explain why China has joined the rest of the world by backsliding deeper into autocracy.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-03-13/Chinese-Angolan-ties-Community-with-shared-future-for-mankind-1i8BRY521z2/index.html
March 13, 2023
China-Angola ties: Community with shared future for mankind
By Pedro Brancher
On March 23, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s grand vision of a community with a shared future for mankind completes its 10th anniversary. The concept envisions a secure, democratic, and prosperous international system, and has guided China’s engagement with the international community.
Regarding the Global South, the Chinese ethos emphasizes win-win cooperation, knowledge sharing, non-interference in internal affairs, and long-term partnerships. The deepening of China-Angola relations in the last few years has shown practical benefits for all Africans….
The declining living standards thesis does not, however, explain the slide towards authoritarianism in China…
[ Do try, just try learning about China and about just how remarkably democratic China has become and is. Read cgtn.com or xinhua.com for a while. ]
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-03-06/How-China-s-democracy-works-at-the-grassroots-level-1hWI4n96EVi/index.html
March 6, 2023
How China’s democracy works at the grassroots level
Auntie Zeng, a retired teacher living in Zhuhai, south China’s Guangdong Province, always feels she has a say in the residential community she lives in and can push through changes, thanks to the grassroots self-governance system in China.
In her community, the residents committee, which was elected by the residents, has put up a “wishing wall” for them to write down their opinions and suggest changes. If their ideas get picked, the committee will host meetings for the residents to participate in decisions through voting.
It was through this mechanism that Zeng pushed through a community park renovation plan that she and other residents were looking forward to, and got to enjoy a better living environment.
Ensuring the enjoyment of democratic rights for citizens at the grassroots level in a country as vast as China, with over 1.4 billion people and a geographic area of approximately 9.6 million square kilometers, is a significant challenge.
China’s answer is a system called community-level self-governance, which is represented by villager autonomy in rural areas, urban resident autonomy in urban areas, and employee congresses in enterprises and public institutions….
yes. and I used to read USSR TODAY too. too bad about the red ink [from an old joke no one here knows].
so if things are so great in China today, why do they need to take Taiwan?
This is a horrid, shameful comment.
ltr
as Gorbachev said to Reagan, “you always say that.”
in Russian: “Trust. But verify.”
Bolsonaro is no longer President, having just lost election to Lula who is decidedly democratic.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/01/world/americas/bolsonaro-florida-brazil.html
January 1, 2023
Lula Becomes Brazil’s President, With Bolsonaro in Florida
Brazil inaugurates its new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on Sunday. Facing investigations, former President Jair Bolsonaro has taken refuge in Orlando.
By Jack Nicas and André Spigariol
Ken Melvin:
A bold and important essay but far too broad as written. Narrowing the focus would be especially helpful. Also, the remarks on Brazil are incorrect.
“It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
Neither Trump nor Bolsonaro have gone away.
The remarks on Brazil and Bolsonaro are incorrect and should be corrected or taken out of the essay. Honest writing demands this. Mistakes are easy to make, but need correction when pointed out.
Mistakenly claiming a vast society is becoming authoritarian is a serious, serious mistake. Correct the mistake.
A bit of Marvin Gaye in “What’s Going On”
It is concerning that democracies all around the world are edging closer to authoritarianism and/or theocracy.
Syed:
Can you write on economic conditions in the area of the world you live in? Just asking. I will put it up if well done and assist if needed.
LOL ~ It appears there’s still a few bugs in the A(not-so)I troll system.
I’ll link this later today in a roundup …
Ten Bears:
No bug. If they are still here, it is a commenter in disguise. Some hide and throw their comments out to be read.
“A hundred years from now, history will tell us what it was all about.”
Or not. That’s part of the problem, isn’t it? History may not tell us what happened, depending on how far toward authoritarianism we slide.
Ken Melvin:
The section on Brazil is incorrect, and needs to be fixed. Bolsonaro is no longer President, having been defeated by Lula who is notably democratic.
keep one name please. do not make me work to find out who you are pleaseeeee. Thank you. I do with enough spammers. You are not one of them for sure.
Ken
We know as much now as we ever will. It is the eternal war between the haves and the have nots, even when the haves are just the tribe over the hill, and what the have nots don’t have is just whatever the haves happen to have.
and while it is true that religions have always played a part in helping the rulers maintain civil order (aka their power), sometimes religion has played a part in bringing down the existing order. and some religious ignore politics altogether. as for us, we make a serious political mistake if we attack people’s religion…however primitive it might be…and treat our political enemies as though they were an enemy tribe. follow the money.