The Disadvantages of Autocracies (Dictatorships) and the China-Russia Relationship
Author: Sue C. | Category: Unkown category | Date: 03-21-2022
Read the two recommended articles and post your thoughts in the comments section.
Also, read this article analyzing the relationship between China and Russia: Link
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/10/china-is-part-of-problem-in-ukraine-not-solution/
ARTICLE 1
PAUL KRUGMAN
Another Dictator Is Having a Bad Year
March 17, 2022
Credit...Noel Celis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
By Paul Krugman
Opinion Columnist
The term “dictator” comes from ancient Rome — a man whom the republic would temporarily give absolute authority during crises. The advantages of untrammeled power in a crisis are obvious. A dictator can act quickly — no need to spend months negotiating legislation or fighting legal challenges. And he can impose necessary but unpopular policies. So there are times when autocratic rule can look more effective than the messiness of democracies bound by rule of law.
Dictatorship, however, starts to look a lot less attractive if it continues for any length of time.
The most important argument against autocracy is, of course, moral: Very few people can hold unrestrained power for years on end without turning into brutal tyrants.
Beyond that, however, in the long run autocracy is less effective than an open society that allows dissent and debate. As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, the advantages of having a strongman who can tell everyone what to do are more than offset by the absence of free discussion and independent thought.
I was writing at the time about Vladimir Putin, whose decision to invade a neighboring country looks more disastrous with each passing day. Evidently nobody dared to tell him that Russia’s military might was overrated, that Ukrainians were more patriotic and the West less decadent than he assumed and that Russia remained highly vulnerable to economic sanctions.
But while we’re all justifiably obsessed with the Ukraine war — I’m trying to limit my reading of Ukraine news to 13 hours a day — it’s important to note that there’s a superficially very different yet in a deep sense related debacle unfolding in the world’s other big autocracy: China, which is now experiencing a disastrous failure of its Covid policy.
Continue reading by going to the NYtimes website. Link
ARTICLE 2
Opinion: Xi Jinping is Vladimir Putin’s co-conspirator in Ukraine
By Josh Rogin
Columnist
March 10, 2022 at 6:52 p.m. EST
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Feb. 4. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
351
Ever since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the Chinese government has attempted to portray itself as a neutral player or even a potential key to solving the crisis. In reality, Chinese President Xi Jinping is acting as Putin’s co-conspirator. Make no mistake. China has made its choice — and it’s not siding with Ukraine or the West.
It’s not surprising that Western observers are confused by China’s foreign policy, especially on Ukraine. In its public diplomacy, Beijing claims that its foreign policy is rooted in concepts like noninterference and respect for state sovereignty. Just days before the invasion, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a European audience that this applied directly to Ukraine. Continuing the ruse, Xi called the situation “deeply worrying,” and asked for “maximum restraint” in a recent call with European leaders. China abstained from a U.N. Security Council vote condemning Russia, part of its campaign to pretend its foreign policy is still independent.
Pundits and officials have seized upon Beijing’s rhetoric to convince themselves that China must be deeply conflicted about Ukraine, or that China could be persuaded to help pressure Putin. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Wang last Saturday and told him Beijing should be publicly condemning Moscow.
“We would expect China, based on everything it’s said in the past, to stand up and make its voice heard,” Blinken told CNN of his remarks to Wang. “And I hope that they will do that.”
But looking at Beijing’s actions, it’s clear that China threw in its lot with Russia early — and that hasn’t changed. About three weeks before the invasion, Putin and Xi met in Beijing and issued their now-infamous statement of more than 5,000 words pledging “no limits” to their “friendship” and no “forbidden” areas of cooperation. Xi also got Putin to sign a 30-year gas deal on favorable terms to Beijing.
Xi reportedly not only gave Putin a green light for his Ukraine invasion but also asked Putin to wait until the Beijing Olympics concluded. Putin announced Russia’s recognition of two separatist Ukrainian territories as independent the very next day after the Closing Ceremonies and launched his military attack three days later. The timeline speaks for itself.
Continue reading: Link
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/10/china-is-part-of-problem-in-ukraine-not-solution/
About: Sue C.
Hi All: Like most people in the Bay Area, I'm sheltering at home. I'm trying to use this opportunity to catch up on projects that are on my back burner and trying not to feel too anxious about the worst case scenarios that are circulating.
