MetaFilter posts tagged with democracy

The leader is not the architect of the system but its product.

plexi — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 14:20:08 -0800

"This is an America that has transferred its allegiance to spectacle, to pseudo-events, that no longer can determine what is real and what is illusion, that confuses how they’re made to feel with knowledge, that confuses propaganda with ideology, and that’s exceedingly dangerous. All totalitarian societies are image-based societies, and that’s what our society has become."

Obama's Iran Policy

homunculus — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 20:08:14 -0800

The Making of an Iran Policy: Inside the Obama administration’s struggle with its biggest diplomatic challenge.

Their vote counts too

Netzapper — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:48:57 -0800

It's important to remember that everybody in our great republic has an equally important voice. [via Reddit]

in a democracy, the ordinary citizen is effectively a king, but a king in a constitutional democracy, a king whose decisions are merely formal

blasdelf — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:23:51 -0800

Berlusconi in Tehran by Slavoj Žižek in the London Review of Books

A spectre is haunting Western academia

Abiezer — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:05:02 -0800

Slavoj Žižek recently gave five talks under the title Masterclass - Notes Towards a Definition of Communist Culture. It sez 'ere, "The master class analyses phenomena of modern thought and culture with the intention to discern elements of possible Communist culture. It moves at two levels: first, it interprets some cultural phenomena (from today’s architecture to classic literary works like Rousseau’s La Nouvelle Heloise) as failures to imagine or enact a Communist culture; second, it explores attempts at imagining how a Communist culture could look, from Wagner’s Ring to Kafka’s and Beckett’s short stories and contemporary science fiction novels." Audio of Zizek's talks and subsequent discussion is now online: Part I Utopias; Part II Architecture as Ideology; Part III Wagner’s Ring as a Communist narrative; Part IV Populism and Democracy; Part V Environment, Identity and Multiculturalism. Those who like to watch the beard in motion will find links to video of some of the talks posted here.

I have here in my hand a list...

msalt — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:53:59 -0800

40 million Iranians watched a "remarkable, no-holds-barred" and nationally televised debate between President Ahmadinejad (blog) and his rival, former Prime Minister Mousavi (Facebook). Mousavi said Ahmadinejad was moving toward dictatorship, and that his Holocaust denial had hurt Iran's dignity; the President said Mousavi had conspired with former presidents Hashemi Rafsanjani and Khatami against him. Ahmadinejad then pulled out a dossier on Mousavi's wife, saying she didn't have proper qualifications for graduate school. Mousavi replied "This is typical of your government. Instead of finding solutions, you send your deputies to make files on the people." The election is June 12th. There will be several more debates among other candidates including Ahmadinejad, Mohsen Rezai and Mehdi Karroubi . This all raises the bigger question: how democratic is Iran? Radio Free Europe says "Less than Iraq." DilbertBlog says "As much as America is." The Guardian says "Complicated."

Mr. Lee's Greater Hong Kong

kliuless — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:44:18 -0800

Prelude to Federation - Like a neocolonial SEZ (or TAZ) Paul Romer, not to be confused with David, posits "less developed countries contract with capitalist nations to set up Hong Kong's for them... that we rethink sovereignty (respect borders, but maybe import administrative control); rethink citizenship (support residency, but maybe import voice in political affairs); and rethink scale (instead of focusing on nations, focus on cities—on city states like Hong Kong and Singapore)." cf. neocameralism [1, 2, 3] BONUS - New Urbanism - Taking Up Space

Should Your Family Try This?

Xurando — Wed, 13 May 2009 06:06:09 -0800

Consensual Living is an experiment in family democracy, where all family members are equally worthy of respect and participate equally in every decision. "When your child is unwilling to share her toy, instead of forcing, choose to listen and understand her point of view. Facilitate her need for playing with that toy, while helping the other child find something just as interesting. When your child skips dinner but is hungry before bed, instead of being frustrated, you can choose to share a quiet bowl of cereal and chat about the day. In each situation and the other unlimited examples out there, you always have the ability to choose joy and connection." Some are not impressed.

Ayo Ghurkali

Happy Dave — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:30:19 -0800

In a landmark defeat for the UK Government, the House of Commons has voted to allow all former and existing Ghurkas the right to live in the UK. The Ghurkas are Nepalese soldiers who fight for the United Kingdom, a legacy of officers of the East India Company impressed by their tenacity in battle during the 1800s. Designated a Martial Race (along with Scottish Highlanders) by colonial administrators, the Ghurkas have been involved in nearly every conflict and military action by Britain of the past 150 years. Previous to today's vote, Ghurkas who completed service before the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997 were denied the right to live in the UK. Following a long-running campaign, fronted by Joanna Lumley of Absolutely Fabulous fame, a coalition of Liberal Democrat, Conservative and even a few Labour back-benchers won the vote today 267 to 246, recognising the fundamental right that "a person who has pledged to defend a country with their life deserves the right to live in it." The campaigners await a government statement on their victory.

A New Thaw for Russia?

nasreddin — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:01:31 -0800

The global financial crisis has severely affected the Russian economy. The unstable situation in the country has contributed to a growing rift between Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev. As increasing numbers of Russians become disillusioned with Putin's promise of comfort and security in exchange for authoritarianism, Medvedev has shown some willingness to take the country in a more liberal direction. Some analysts, however, remain unconvinced.

X marks the spot; 700 million might

adamvasco — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 07:39:31 -0800

Between 16 April - 13 May the worlds largest democracy will go into action. Being India the logistics are mind boggling. Over 700 million eligible voters who will vote in over 700,000 polling stations for 1,055 political parties. The BBC goes on to explain what makes Indian elections special. University of Maryland has Forecasts and Analysis and Trends in Indian Election Politics has both insight and an interesting blog roll. As Indian Politics are more than usually corrupt and thuggish there is website dedicated to information about candidates with a criminal history. Sadly in spite of this great democratic exercise, repression of speech and miscarriage of justice will probably still be around for a while.

Writing Off Autocracy (?)

Inspector.Gadget — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:24:46 -0800

Twilight Of The Autocrats: Will the global economic downturn usher in a new era of democracy, or will things only get worse? [first link via]

Narendra Modi

homunculus — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:00:21 -0800

India’s New Face. "Meet Narendra Modi, chief minister of Gujarat and the brightest star in the Hindu-chauvinist Bharatiya Janata Party. Under Modi, Gujarat has become an economic dynamo. But he also presided over India’s worst communal riots in decades, a 2002 slaughter that left almost 2,000 Muslims dead. Exploiting the insecurities and tensions stoked by India’s opening to the world, Modi has turned his state into a stronghold of Hindu extremism, shredding Gandhi’s vision of secular coexistence in the process. One day, he could be governing the world’s largest democracy." [Via]

Science and the "Obama Restoration"

sarabeth — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:58:31 -0800

The Essential Parallel Between Science and Democracy. "[T]he restorative steps Obama has taken vis-à-vis science are praiseworthy not so much because they respect science as because they respect the grand institutions of democracy. This is no accident, because the very virtues that make democracy work are also those that make science work: a commitment to reason and transparency, an openness to critical scrutiny, a skepticism toward claims that too neatly support reigning values, a willingness to listen to countervailing opinions, a readiness to admit uncertainty and ignorance, and a respect for evidence gathered according to the sanctioned best practices of the moment."

Moyers, Greenwald and Rosen on politics and the media

homunculus — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 12:23:30 -0800

Politics, the Press, and the Public. Bill Moyers speaks with Glenn Greenwald and Jay Rosen about the role of the establishment press in America’s dysfunctional political system.

De la démocratie en Singapore

grobstein — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:38:14 -0800

Economist Bryan Caplan is author of the best contemporary critique of democracy and democraticness (previously), and therefore the person I'd most like to visit Singapore and share his thoughts. He recently took a trip to this quasi-democracy lauded for both its pro-growth policies and its strong, competent government (and criticized for its repression and its draconian penal code). The trip to what is in some ways an economist's utopia allowed Caplan to think about the implications of his own writings, and the validity of Churchill's dictum on democracy. Here's what he had to say: Creativity and critical thinking among the elites (also humor!); avoiding the "buffet mentality": abundant government services funded with co-payments; when is government healthcare a "free lunch"?; are regular Singaporeans more economically literate, or are they just resigned / defer to elites?; a humanitarian eugenics?; "opposition is legal -- it just doesn't win"; more on crime policy. The bottom line: "would I want the US to become Singapore"?

globalizing democracy

washburn — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:51:02 -0800

Today's featured article at Wikipedia concerns the United Nations Parliamentary Assembly: a proposed UN body which, according to its proponents, would eventually consist of representatives elected directly by the people of the world. Might this proposal be a viable plan for a more global expression of democracy? Or is it just one more Utopian vision of "world government" doomed to wither under the vociferous criticisms that such proposals seem, inevitably, to attract?

Washington to Obama

Glibpaxman — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:09:04 -0800

America has come a long way. There is the official version of history or the peoples' version. There are artifacts and rankings. They had some quirks and were occasionally men of their time. If you prefer audio or visual references those are available as well. Common knowledge has it that one GW was our first President but the title of first is under dispute. 230 years later another GW is making a run for worst. That is also under dispute by the nations best brains. For better and worse, the story of the Presidency is the story of America.

Obama and the Imperial Presidency

homunculus — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 12:51:34 -0800

After the Imperial Presidency. "Will the new president and Congress undo the executive-power plays of the Bush era?"

intimidating men of ordinary firmness

Durn Bronzefist — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:38:15 -0800

A man carrying a musket rushed at him. Another threw a brick, knocking him off his feet. George Kyle picked himself up and ran. He never did cast his vote. Nor did his brother, who died of his wounds. The Democratic candidate for Congress, William Harrison, lost to the American Party’s Henry Winter Davis. Three months later, when the House of Representatives convened hearings into the election, whose result Harrison contested, Davis’s victory was upheld on the ground that any “man of ordinary courage” could have made his way to the polls. The New Yorker looks at how we used to vote. Ok, how you used to vote. Thought this was a fascinating read, though, on the history of voting in the U.S. and adoption of the "Australian ballot".

John McCain and democracy

shetterly — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:56:09 -0800

John McCain served on the advisory board to the U.S. chapter of an international group linked to ultra-right-wing death squads in Central America in the 1980s. As the head of the IRI, he helped finance coups against democratic governments in Haiti and Venezuela. Were those governments fairly elected? The 1984 elections were perhaps the freest and fairest in Nicaraguan history. Aristide...won the first free and fair election in the country’s history with 67 percent of the vote. In Venezuela, all of Chavez's victories in elections were monitored and certified by a variety of observers including the Organization of American States, the European Union and the Carter Center.

The Supreme Court and America’s international relations

homunculus — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:00:24 -0800

When Judges Make Foreign Policy. "In a globalized, post-9/11 age, decisions made by the Supreme Court are increasingly shaping America's international relations. When the next justice is appointed, our place in the world may well hang in the balance."

An environmental movement for the Internet ecosystem

parmanparman — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:39:05 -0800

Time Capsule: the internet and E-democracy. “Peoples’ lives now are as dependent on the Internet as they are on the basics like roads, energy supplies and running water. We can no longer take that for granted and we must advocate for the Internet politically, and support its vitality personally.” - Susan Crawford, University of Michigan School of Law. In recognition and memory of the beginning and continuation of the political internet, they have organized a Time Capsule of e-democracy's beginnings - everything from using e-mail to plead your friends to vote to flash animations that set the web alight. It is to be sealed on September 22. Help tell the story of internet politics.

St. Paul Police say Democracy? No.

history is a weapon — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:27:25 -0800

Amy Goodman Arrested! Amy Goodman, award-winning journalist and host of Democracy Now!, has been arrested after she tried to figure out why two of her producers had been arrested. Already people are responding. (To get the most recent news about the situation in St. Paul, check out this streaming audio.

Drowning

homunculus — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:24:13 -0800

Can the Burmese people rescue themselves? A powerful piece by George Packer in the New Yorker on the recent history and current conditions in Burma.