The most dangerous political experiment in Latin America is *was* in El Salvador. It was a failed state forfeiting all ability to fulfill its primary obligation by protecting its citizens at the most basic elementary level.
Thank god for Bukele. There isn't a population on earth that would make the other choice in the face of that situation. I hope all of Central America follows suit.
For better or worse, El Salvador is the future. Liberalism leads to men pretending to be women so that they can cheat at sports. I have a standard comment about this.
“China is very good at building dams, the US is very good at enforcing PC. Which system will prevail in the 21st century?”
The "populism" you mention is a by-product of a ravaged and besieged democracy. The "People" naturally desire democracy, as this way of governance is supposed to offer them the most voice. But great and difficult social problems often cause the People to temporarily give homage to strongmen who launch on a proposed solution to the most pressing of these problems that make democracy impossible. If we disparage this temporary populist sentiment, granted in desperation, for the solution of democracy destroying problems, however, we are hitting the People for being down and trying their best to get up again. To the effect that, we are only really decimating the very hope of democracy itself. Rather than disparaging "populism" in some shallow analysis of its anti-democratic aspect, we ought to challenge ourselves to innovate deeply democratic solutions to our greatest social problems. And where must we start? By first deeply respecting the People and their desire for life and liberty, not hitting them when they are desperately trying to survive. So let me point again to such a solution I have strived to envision for America, BEFORE America's social dysfunction becomes as acute, and We, The People succumb to similar desperation: https://newamericanspringblog.wordpress.com/2023/04/09/democracy-lost-preamble-to-the-new-american-spring-social-program/
The only tool we have for predicting the future is study of the past, however imperfect that is. During the 20th century, Soviet Russia, Nazi Germany, and Red China experimented with restoring "order" by mass incarceration and elimination of civil liberties. Of the three only Germany has emerged as a modern, democratic, nation state, and that was only after committing genocide, waging a disastrous war, unconditional surrender and foreign occupation. Both Russia and China are continuing with authoritarian governments with central planning and non-existent civil liberties. What does 20th century history tell us about El Salvador's future?
We, in the United States, are now reconsidering the strategy of mass incarceration to reduce crime. There are benefits to living in a constitutional democratic republic and those benefits include open discussion of failed policies leading to gradual change.
Livi, the great ancient historian, wrote that when certain problems could not be solved by the Senate and Tribunes of the Roman Republic (before the Caesars), they assigned (usually)an elite to be dictator for 6 months and get the job done. I find this ingenious.
The most dangerous political experiment in Latin America is *was* in El Salvador. It was a failed state forfeiting all ability to fulfill its primary obligation by protecting its citizens at the most basic elementary level.
Thank god for Bukele. There isn't a population on earth that would make the other choice in the face of that situation. I hope all of Central America follows suit.
For better or worse, El Salvador is the future. Liberalism leads to men pretending to be women so that they can cheat at sports. I have a standard comment about this.
“China is very good at building dams, the US is very good at enforcing PC. Which system will prevail in the 21st century?”
The "populism" you mention is a by-product of a ravaged and besieged democracy. The "People" naturally desire democracy, as this way of governance is supposed to offer them the most voice. But great and difficult social problems often cause the People to temporarily give homage to strongmen who launch on a proposed solution to the most pressing of these problems that make democracy impossible. If we disparage this temporary populist sentiment, granted in desperation, for the solution of democracy destroying problems, however, we are hitting the People for being down and trying their best to get up again. To the effect that, we are only really decimating the very hope of democracy itself. Rather than disparaging "populism" in some shallow analysis of its anti-democratic aspect, we ought to challenge ourselves to innovate deeply democratic solutions to our greatest social problems. And where must we start? By first deeply respecting the People and their desire for life and liberty, not hitting them when they are desperately trying to survive. So let me point again to such a solution I have strived to envision for America, BEFORE America's social dysfunction becomes as acute, and We, The People succumb to similar desperation: https://newamericanspringblog.wordpress.com/2023/04/09/democracy-lost-preamble-to-the-new-american-spring-social-program/
The only tool we have for predicting the future is study of the past, however imperfect that is. During the 20th century, Soviet Russia, Nazi Germany, and Red China experimented with restoring "order" by mass incarceration and elimination of civil liberties. Of the three only Germany has emerged as a modern, democratic, nation state, and that was only after committing genocide, waging a disastrous war, unconditional surrender and foreign occupation. Both Russia and China are continuing with authoritarian governments with central planning and non-existent civil liberties. What does 20th century history tell us about El Salvador's future?
We, in the United States, are now reconsidering the strategy of mass incarceration to reduce crime. There are benefits to living in a constitutional democratic republic and those benefits include open discussion of failed policies leading to gradual change.
Livi, the great ancient historian, wrote that when certain problems could not be solved by the Senate and Tribunes of the Roman Republic (before the Caesars), they assigned (usually)an elite to be dictator for 6 months and get the job done. I find this ingenious.