Democracy During the last decade, democracies around the world, have been watching over the demise of democracy around the world. I guess, after the fall of the USSR, we imagined that democracy would naturally grow from strength to strength without much effort, but now it's time for a wake-up call... The natural equilibrium where political systems lie if left unattended is authoritarianism.[1] If we want to strengthen democracy, even nurturing isn't enough. It has to be fought for with steely determination, intelligence and imagination. Very few of today's leaders are up for the task. It hasn't helped that for the last four years, America, normally a beacon of democracy, has been in freefall. Not only did Trump undermine American democracy at home, but he also cosied up with leaders such as Mohammed bin Salman, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin,[2] all dictators in their own right. The message from the most influential democracy was clear, "FUCK DEMOCRACY". And then there's the EU leadership, sitting all smug watching the circus going on in the White House. It was the duty of the EU to pick up the mantle and hold the principles of democracy dear when the US was failing. But instead, the EU has been trying to protect its economic interests and selling democracy down the river.[3] To be fair on the Trump administration, the apathy towards democratic values started to set into the EU before Trump came to power. Putin's illegal annexation of Crimea and conflict in Donbas in the East of Ukraine[4] was met with appeasement, as was his support for Assad's genocide in Syria. Much of the tepid approach towards Russian aggression originates from Germany. Former German chancellors, Helmut Schmidt, Helmut Kohl and Gerhard Schroeder have all been supportive of Putin[5], with Schroeder becoming a personal friend. Angela Merkel might be a bit more standoffish, but her dogged support for Nord Stream 2, a gas pipeline project under the Baltic between Russia and Germany shows that Merkel is more interested in keeping Germany economically dominant in Europe than standing up for democracy[6]. Both NATO and the other Baltic States vehemently oppose Germany's stance for strategic reasons[7], but perhaps what is most surprising is Merkel's failure to take into account Germany's Nazi history. School children in Germany are taught about the dangers of political creep towards authoritarianism under the motto of "Never Again"[8], but Germany keeps on digging and is taking the EU with it. All this was happening while the EU was watching over Poland and Hungary steadily dismantling their democratic checks and balances. Both countries are gradually eroding the independence of their courts, press and TV.[9] At the end of last year (2020), for a moment it looked like the EU's patients had run out. The EU initially insisted that funds from the EU budget and a coronavirus stimulus would be conditional on respect for the rule of law and democratic standards. All the members of the EU agreed to this straight forward and fair demand except Poland and Hungary which blocked the funds through their right to veto.[10] The whole affair created quite a spat, but in the end, after brief negotiations, the EU caved and pretty well offered the funds to Poland and Hungary unconditionally.[11] So now, Poland and Hungary will continue their drive towards authoritarianism. Another recent example has happened against the backdrop of worsening relations between the US and China. The EU, under the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and a German rotating presidency, has approved an EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment.[12] This deal undermines democracy on so many levels, it's difficult to know where to begin. For a start, taking advantage of America when America was down might have been a way of showing disdain against Trump, but it's extremely short-sighted. There is no closer ally to the EU than the US. More importantly though, presently China is holding millions of Muslim Uighurs in concentration camps.[13] The Biden administration has called it genocide.[14] Considering that Leyen and Merkel are both German, how can they ignore such human rights abuses for the sake of a poxy investment agreement. Strategically, Germany and much of the EU's relationship with China is bordering on reckless. Around 4600 German companies have invested approx. 81 billion EUR in China. 58% of these German companies manufacture goods in China.[15] Because of this, Germany is absolutely afraid to call out the human rights abuses China is carrying out. If China stopped manufacturing goods for German businesses, Germany would have serious difficulty competing.[16] Is this a world we want to live in, afraid to speak out against the abusers? It's time to bring authoritarian leaders to account. It's time to stand up for democracy before it's too late, but democratic countries can not do this singlehandedly. It will require a steadfast alliance with solid leadership. Such leadership doesn't exist in Europe at the moment, so once again, it means looking towards America. For now, the US has enough problems on its plate. Under President Trump, its own democracy took a hit. Biden is doing his best to reverse many of Trump's policies through executive orders[17], but ironically, executive orders aren't democratic, so the USA isn't ready to lead a democratic alliance either. But maybe such a fight for democracy is what the USA needs to heal its internal divisions. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Both democrats and republicans can share the same disdain for authoritarian regimes. When America is ready, it should form a trading organisation of full democracies. To join such an organisation, countries would need to fulfil certain democratic criteria. The Economist Intelligent Unit compiles an index of democracies measuring the state of democracy in each country. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index What is clear by looking at the index is that the full democracies are mainly wealthy countries, so economically, such a trading organisation of full democracies would have real economic punch. Trade between these countries would be free from tariffs and unrestricted. For countries outside this trading organisation, the restrictions they face in doing business with the trading organisation would depend on their democracy index ranking. (A more detailed explanation here) Such an idea would not be for the faint-hearted. It would disrupt the world economy, weaken the World Trade Organisation, the EU and other free trade blocks. Tariffs and restrictions would slowly be ramped up to give countries like Germany enough time to get out of China. Provided the trading organisation of full democracies keep their nerve, both Russia and China would be forced to embrace democracy, or become failed states.
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AuthorHi, I'm Christopher Taylor, and I mainly write about things that aren't what they seem. Forthcoming Issues IS MODERN MONETARY THEORY WISHFUL THINKING? TAX NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES, NOT WORK WHY PROPERTIES ARE SO EXPENSIVE WHY HEALTHCARE IN THE US IS SO EXPENSIVE WHY SOMALI PIRATES ARE PAID SUCH LARGE RANSOMS DISCOUNT CLUB FAVOURING GOODS PRODUCED IN DEMOCRATIC NATIONS THE SUBDUING OF CHILDREN MUST STOP THE PEOPLES PROTEST BOT GERMANY'S SILENT CURRENCY MANIPULATION MONEY (THE LACK OF) IS NO REASON THERE IS ALWAYS A SIMPLE SOLUTION... WHICH DOESN'T WORK THE TICTOK-GENERATION MESSAGE TO PUTIN HOW COMMERCIAL BANKS LEND AN EU LEADERSHIP DEFICIT DUMPING ON AFRICA TO PAY PUTIN |