[lbo-talk] Re: China [was: Blowing Up an Assumption]

Jim Devine jdevine03 at gmail.com
Wed Jun 15 14:02:03 PDT 2005


Michael Pugliese quoted:
>With the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia launched itself on
>a fitful transition to Western-style democracy.

what does "Western-style democracy" mean in this context? as far as I can tell, from reading this and similar contexts, it means "free-market" capitalism (under the thumb of the IMF, World Bank, and their master, the US government) with lots of investment opportunities for US capitalists, along with a nominally democratic government that has little or no positive impact on the lives of its citizens (except the rich ones), and a pro-US foreign policy.

further, the usual gambit to justify "anti-democratic" policies (when people with other meanings for the word "democracy" speak up) by saying that the country is in a "fitful transition," is "fragile," is "emerging," etc.

I am sick of people using the word "democracy" to mean dictatorship and "free markets."

Jim Devine "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante.



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