Democratization: east vs. west
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| Time magazine released this photo of Justin Trudeau |
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| Al Jolson donning Blackface |
Abstract
The current political climate in North America and internationally provokes a battle between logic and reason. There are battles of ideology being waged on issues such as Brexit in Europe, trade agreements supporting American interests, and trade agreements that are surreptitiously promoted by the central government in Beijing cast as The Belt & Road Initiative (BRI.)
The hallmark of governing always invokes the presence of nepotism, that leads to scandal, and cross purposes to what elected officials promised during their political campaigns. If we channel Rene Descartes, he would speak through the electorate and those officials about the need to operate with specific goals in an altruistic nature for the good of all. But then, who would vote for those leaders where multiculturalism is prevalent in most of the developed world, with Japan being the exception, at a glance. Some cite Islamophobia, some cite xenophobia, some would counter that nationalist fervour is the result of the cosmopolitan world we inhabit.
Keywords: Autocracy Nepotism China NATO Collective-Security
Economic Policy Post WW2
The Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto constructed a hypothesis that called for stratagems where a policy outcome is right and should be pursued that promotes the highest good of all while hurting the fewest members of a society. When a society has reached an equilibrium where no further improvements are possible, it is said that that society has reached 'Pareto Optimality.' While Pareto passed away in 1923, a fairly recent measuring stick has found its place in GINI, ironically, named after another Italian economist, Corrado Gini, who passed away in 1965.1Central Intelligence Agency. "Country Comparison: Distribution of Family Income. GINI INDEX." 2018. 12 April 2019. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2172rank.html>.
Post WW2, the international community founded the Bretton - Woods Agreement that limited member countries to pegging the exchange of their currency at no more than 1% of the value of gold. If you look at a current GINI, the scope of the Curve ultimately shows developed nations and those with democratically elected governments employing a higher standard of living with a strong judiciary and human rights record. As in life and politics, there are trade-offs or opportunity costs. Further, the only way to seek political change is through the franchise, recall, insurgency, civil disobedience, or running for political office. In the case of authoritarian regimes, the vote is limited or non existent, and in China's case, term limits have been pre-empted to five year terms during Xi Jinping's period, however long he chooses to stay in office. The United States adopted term limits in 1951 through the Twenty - Second Amendment restricting term limits to two terms to minimize the credo by British Lord Acton that "absolute power corrupts absolutely." The British and Canadian parliamentary systems allow for limitless Prime Ministerial terms so long as the government can maintain the confidence of the House. No matter the methodology, corruption or scandal is tantamount to having a large group of people assembled with few checks and balances on their performance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_term_limits
North American Political Situation in 2019
Currently, American President Donald Trump is operating in a vacuum where he believes his authority is above the law. This is an awkward time to be American as issues of the day are managed by social media and as "game show politics." Indeed, Mr. Trump acts and looks like a modern day W.C. Fields, the vaudevillian comedian and actor popular in the 1920's and 1930's. Canadians see the current Prime Minster in a similar fashion, unable to manage controversy or foreign affairs in an astute manner. In addition, British Prime Minister Elizabeth May is on the verge of ouster for her inability to manage the BREXIT file and leave the E.U. on good stead, though an extension has been granted for six months. Finally, Italy, 8th place internationally in GDP, has struck a deal with China on contracts through China's BRI, placing Europe in the cross hairs of Xi's subtle colonialist ambitions to push China atop as the global financial power.countries involved in belt and road initiativecountries involved in belt and road initiative http://china-trade-research.hktdc.com/business-news/article/The-Belt-and-Road-Initiative/The-Belt-and-Road-Initiative-Country-Profiles/obor/en/1/1X000000/1X0A36I0.htm In the same vein as a China trade agreement, nation states are happy to accept Chinese investment while overlooking Beijing's spotty record on human rights. The number of executions in China is opaque, though many groups including Amnesty International claim that China executes more people than the rest of the world combined. American foundation, Dui Hua estimates that 2400 executions took place in 2015 and the same figure for the preceding years (2014, 2013.) The same report indicates 3,000 executions in 2012, 4,000 in 2011, and 5,000 in 2010. 2
The Canadian electorate heads to the polls this November with the current government languishing due to corruption involving a private Quebec firm that was seeking contracts with Libya through bribery during the Gaddafi regime leading to charges against SNC Lavalin for one count of fraud and one count of corruption. The former VP of SNC, Normand Morin, was also found guilty of making illegal donations to Canadian political parties including $110,000.0 to the Liberal Party and $8,000.00 to other political Party's. He pled guilty to two of five charges and was fined $2,000.00. The governing Liberal Party has come under fire before for scandal during their previous government led by Jean Chretien. Therefore, there is a continuation in Canada of this practice contrary to the Prime Minister's dictum once elected of governing with more transparency. There is always the difficulty of unseating there incumbent in government, so, Justin Trudeau may be given a slap on the wrist by the electorate this Fall with a price it deal consisting of a minority government.
>>>Currently, images have leaked showing Prime Minister Trudeau in Blackface (at an event at the private academy where he taught during 2001,) an ode to slavery in a period in the United States, primarily, when slavery was common -place in some particular regions such as the southern states to Texas. Entertainer Al Jolson donned Blackface to further his career, though supported African Americans. 4/5 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has his father's legacy (former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau) to live up to and has had a difficult year politically heading into a vote on his government on October 21. With these photos released this week, the first one by Time magazine, has resulted in Justin Trudeau apologising profusely on the campaign trail leading up to the televised debates, which will now feature five leaders vying for votes at the expense of the majority Liberal government and opposition, Conservative Party. If the debates become too heated, Trudeau politically inexperienced, may wilt under a constant barrage of accusations by his opponents and leave the stage. This will surely hurt his standings vis a vis polling figures and may lead to sure defeat on October 21. If, however, he can ignore the vitriol and answer the moderator when asked, he stands to look prime ministerial and avoid hurting his Party's chances further. Ultimately, it is too late along in the race for the Liberal Party to appoint a new leader. The Party must hope that Trudeau and company can maintain their support in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area,) Ontario and Quebec to maintain government even with a minority mandate. If the Liberal Party is polling poorly leading up to the vote, expect many of the voters from 2015 that bought into Trudeau's handsome features and "Sunny Ways" to abstain from voting and sit - out this election.
Donald Trump has escaped unscathed, for now, from any consequences of the Mueller Report, though, very little has been disclosed and the Democratic controlled Congress is anxious to hold his feet to the fire on this matter and his still undisclosed tax returns. It would appear that Mr. Trump is facing a one term limit as President. There is little cohesion in his cabinet, poor Foreign Policy directives, and a stubbornness to operate government as his personal fiefdom. In Canada, the feeling is similar, as a recent Forum Research Poll published in The Toronto Star found support for the governing Liberal party at 29% compared to 42% for the opposition Conservative party, that would result in a Conservative majority government.
Conclusion
Tibetans once again must bear the brunt of the Chinese occupation, though, China under Xi is autocratically deeper than his predecessor, Hu Jintao. The conclusion is that, given the choices, a democratically elected government in Canada, Great Britain and elsewhere provides the bedrock of security on a personal level despite political scandal. Vancouver- Canada, Zurich - Switzerland and Vienna - Austria are the top three cities to live; conversely, Baghdad- Iraq and Damascus - Syria are among the worst, as reported by CNBC.3 Exporting democracy, despite the U.N. and NATO, has failed to improve the human cause most recently. Rather than worrying about the Julian Assange's and the Muammar Al Gatahfi's of the world, global political leaders should be focusing on rooting out Abu Bakr Al - Baghdadi, the ISIS leader in seclusion, so he can be brought to the ICC (International Criminal Court) at The Hague, on war crimes and be incarcerated. This was effectively done with Slobodan Milosevic, the former Serbian (1989-1997) and Yugoslavian President (1997-2000. Moreover, the rise of an arms race in the South China Sea with Chinese colonialist tendencies and Russia at loggerheads with America over NATO and the annexation of Crimea, has strained post Cold War relationships leaving global regionalism as the standard collective security mechanism, muting NATO, the U.N. and others effectiveness as nation states and other actors eschew traditional powers in their orbit. China is sending out disturbing signals regarding the extradition bill in Hong Kong and the Central Governments negative influence on Hongkongers established democratic freedoms.Ultimately, scandal within the political realm remains united despite ideology and subject to policies of the ruling Party. Moreover, what democratization means for citizens in an authoritarian nation-state and those in a well established democracy, remain quite different from basic services to electoral privilege, covering the aboriginal communities in Canada that lack clean water to Iraq and North Korea that run on antiquated electrical grids.
Works Cited
1 Central Intelligence Agency. "Country Comparison: Distribution of Family Income. GINI INDEX." 2018. 12 APRIL 2019. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2172rank.html>.
2 Cornell Law School. "Cornell Centre on the Death Penalty Worldwide." 10 April 2014. 10 April 2019. <http://www.deathpenaltyworldwide.org/country-search-post.cfm?country=china>.
3 Taylor, Chloe. "These are the worlds top cities to live in, according to researchers." Life, CNBC. 13 March 2019. 12 April 2019. <https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/13/top-city-index-these-are-the-best-places-to-live-for-2019.html>.
4. Jolson often performed in blackface makeup.[121] Performing in blackface makeup was a theatrical convention of many entertainers at the beginning of the 20th century, having its origin in the minstrel show.[122] According to film historian Eric Lott:
"For the white minstrel man to put on the cultural forms of 'blackness' was to engage in a complex affair of manly mimicry... To wear or even enjoy blackface was literally, for a time, to become black, to inherit the cool, virility, humility, abandon, or gaité de coeur that were the prime components of white ideologies of black manhood."[123]
In the retrospective view of a later era, however, the use of blackface has come to be viewed as implicit racism.[9][124][125] Music critic Ted Gioia, commenting on Jolson's use of blackface, wrote:
"Blackface evokes memories of the most unpleasant side of racial relations, and of an age in which white entertainers used the makeup to ridicule black Americans while brazenly borrowing from the rich black musical traditions that were rarely allowed direct expression in mainstream society. This is heavy baggage for Al Jolson.[9] >from Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Jolson
5 It is true that Jolson, as did many of his contemporaries, performed in blackface which was originally a racist form of entertainment growing out of the minstrel shows of the 19th century. However, by the 20th century, it had mostly lost its racist connotations and was simply seen as an accompaniment to a popular style of music of the day.
To tar one of the seminal figures in American entertainment with that brush is a display of gross ignorance. Jolson was the premier figure on Broadway, on records and eventually pioneered the era of sound movies with "The Jazz Singer." Far from being a racist, he befriended black entertainers and promoted their careers. No one considered him a racist.
https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/readers-respond/bs-ed-jolson-letter-20150726-story.html
https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_blogs/#influencers
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