11-01-2018, 03:03 PM
It should be pointed out that our supposed and hoped-for "greater faith in democracy" (Bob Butler) seems to be undergoing a reversal. I don't know far or for how long it will go. The Arab Spring rising in 2011 resulted in progress only in Tunisia, with warlord-ruled anarchy so far in Libya, brutal authoritarian rule in Egypt, genocidal terror by Assad in Syria, deadly civil war in Yemen, the rise and fall of the brutal sectarian Islamic State, and suppression in Bahrain. The risings continued in Turkey, Brazil and Ukraine. In the former two countries the people elected authoritarian rulers, and in the third the Russians fomented a counter-rebellion in the east. A dictator has seized power in China, reversing some democratic gains. In the Phillippines a ruler has seized power who carries out state killings. In Eastern Europe, authoritarian regimes have been elected. In Southeast Asia, tyranny has replaced budding democracy. A nationalist right-wing sectarian party rules India. In the USA, there's voter-suppression and right-wing takeover of the courts, with a far right TV star demagogue given the presidency by an outdated voting system.