On Jul 14, 2006, at 12:15 PM, Michael Givel wrote:
> MOSCOW // They spoke of political repression, compliant courts,
> stifled news media, institutionalized corruption and human rights
> lapses - all the elements of a society that is not free.
Hmm, couldn't this be datelined any city in the US?
Doug ___________
Yes, I quite agree. There is very much a convergence now happening but not yet complete. I thought the article on the similarities of state approaches in Russia and U.S. that I just posted has a lot of merit on this without, of course, ignoring some crucial differences. One being that things change and undoubtedly will change in different ways for both nations. Another is that both nations have had different historical paths of economic development--industrialization, capitalism, feudalism. Nevertheless, early 21st century trends in both states toward authoritarianism with varying degrees and types of free market ideologies is a very dark, in my view, indication of where large parts of the world *may* be heading nowadays. We are not helpless, however, which is why pro-democracy and other social movements are important.