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Then Russia is a democracy. Agree? Because, you know, there are many more parties than in the US. Oh wait, they say Russia is a dictatorship. Oh yeah, in fact

Then Russia is a democracy. Agree? Because, you know, there are many more parties than in the US. Oh wait, they say Russia is a dictatorship. Oh yeah, in fact in Russia you have international observers during elections, in the US not. In Russia you have 4 parties in the Duma, in the US just two. In Russia you have a pletora of parties in the elections, in the US just two. I am seriously angry they didn't add the biggest dictatorship in the world, the American Empire!

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
- eternalban 10y ago
  > What do you think would happen in either of those countries if there were demonstrations like the ones that have been going on in the US (e.g. because of police brutality and greedy banks)? Well, before the world famous show called 'The War on Terror' premiered post-9/11, there were a series of violent clashes between dissidents in the West and Globalist forces. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Raid_on_Armando_Diaz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Raid_on_Armando_Diaz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Seattle_WTO_protests https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Seattle_WTO_protests Thankfully, the Empire's Jihadists made a 'timely' decision to turn on and bite the hand that fed them shoulder fired missiles, and the Western voices that were raised against Globalism before 9/11 were no more. (Interestingly enough, if one speculates that the terror events in this period are false flag state terrorism, there is a straight line between the application of violence and intended consequences in the target, per "old school" terrorism.) > What do you think would happen in either of those countries if there were demonstrations like the ones that have been going on in the US (e.g. because of police brutality and greedy banks)? Apples and oranges. Every state will react forcefully and violently when its power basis, or vulnerabilities, are challenged. The specimens that you are referencing have not yet advanced to the level of Western states and still rely on fairly traditional means of maintaining their grip on power. Further, in many of these nations, the general urban population is far more politically literate than their Western counterparts.
  - saryant 10y ago
    InfoWars is leaking.
    - eternalban 10y ago
      What is not leaking is an informed contribution, in your reply, to the conversation. (If you are insinuating that my views are formed by InfoWars.com, permit me to disabuse you of entertaining such thoughts regarding my readings and reflections.)
24gttghh 10y ago
I'd consider Russia as being accurately described in that list. Putin has been in power..how long now? And yes I agree with your sentiments on the US as well. The thing about the US is that there isn't an apparent law forbidding the forming of 3rd+ parties like there is in other countries.
denzil_correa 10y ago
> Then Russia is a democracy. Agree? Because, you know, there are many more parties than in the US. It is important to look at what the phrase "1-party state" means. By its literal definition, you are right. But generally, it may not be used in a literal sense and one has to be open to it. In this case, it meant that side effects bought from a 1 party state such as issues with civil rights etc. This is the reason you have an index to measure it. It brings together different facets and creates a score.
dgudkov 10y ago
And who is the dictator in that "American Empire" dictatorship?
- eternalban 10y ago
  Names and faces are unknown, but their instruments of directing and managing the "empire" are becoming more visible by each passing day. 2016 was a crazy year but there is that silver lining. [p.s. edit]: Undoing Democracy: Neoliberalism's Remaking of State and Subject This book is a theoretical consideration of the ways that neoliberalism, a peculiar form of reason that configures all aspects of existence in economic terms, is quietly undoing basic elements of democracy. These elements include vocabularies, principles of justice, political cultures, habits of citizenship, practices of rule, and above all, democratic imaginaries. My argument is not merely that markets and money are corrupting or degrading democracy, that political institutions and outcomes are increasingly dominated by finance and corporate capital, or that democracy is being replaced by plutocracy -- rule by and for the rich. Rather, neoliberal reason, ubiquitous today in statecraft and the workplace, in jurisprudence, education, culture, and a vast range of quotidian activity, is converting the distinctly /political/ character, meaning, and operation of democracy's constituent elements into /economic/ ones. Liberal democratic institutions, practices, and habits may not survive this conversion. Radical democratic dreams may not either. Thus. this book charts both a disturbing contemporary condition and the potential barrenness for future democratic projects contained in this troubled present. The institutions and principles aimed at securing democracy, the cultures required to nourish it, the energies needed to animate it, and the citizens practicing, caring for, or desiring it -- all these are challenged by neoliberalism's "economization" of political life and other heretofore noneconomic spheres and activities. - Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism's Stealth Revolution, Ch. 1 /emphasis/ in the original. [1]: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/undoing-demos https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/undoing-demos
aluhut 10y ago
It's not like having more parties makes you automatically a democracy. Even North Korea has 4 parties. But having one is a clear no go. Always. There is not even anything to discuss or to whitewash. Like in NK or Russia.
yongjik 10y ago
You're mixing two things, "empire" (i.e., whether a country is being a dick to other countries and people), and "dictatorship" (whether it is being a dick to its own people).
1024core 10y ago
> In Russia you have a pletora of parties in the elections, in the US just two. Nit: in the US, there are dozens of parties. Most don't get the votes to win, but they exist: Greens, Independent, Libertarian, etc. etc. Bernie Sanders was of neither party.
- rat87 10y ago
  We do have a few elected Independents, not many though.
- mveety 10y ago
  Most of those parties don't get a platform, which is a lot of the reason they don't get votes. The Republicans and Democrats control the debates, how to register as a candidate, etc and the media has failed by perpetuating the "two party system" myth.
e40 10y ago
Then Russia is a democracy. Russia was added recently, according to the twitter stream in question.
squozzer 10y ago
That's Mr. American Empire to you droogie! But going meta on pabloski's question, who decides which countries are dictatorships and which are bastions of liberty?
PrBNpKB8 10y ago
After looking at your comment history, this might be the first time that I've seen the "web brigades" (Веб-бригады) at work on a site I frequent. I'm not sure how to feel about that. :| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_brigades https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_brigades or https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B5%D0%B1-%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%8B https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B5%D0%B1-%D0%B1%D1%8... (Though I do find it poetic that the Russian language page about the web brigades is proposed for deletion.)

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

eternalban 10y ago
> What do you think would happen in either of those countries if there were demonstrations like the ones that have been going on in the US (e.g. because of police brutality and greedy banks)? Well, before the world famous show called 'The War on Terror' premiered post-9/11, there were a series of violent clashes between dissidents in the West and Globalist forces. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Raid_on_Armando_Diaz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Raid_on_Armando_Diaz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Seattle_WTO_protests https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Seattle_WTO_protests Thankfully, the Empire's Jihadists made a 'timely' decision to turn on and bite the hand that fed them shoulder fired missiles, and the Western voices that were raised against Globalism before 9/11 were no more. (Interestingly enough, if one speculates that the terror events in this period are false flag state terrorism, there is a straight line between the application of violence and intended consequences in the target, per "old school" terrorism.) > What do you think would happen in either of those countries if there were demonstrations like the ones that have been going on in the US (e.g. because of police brutality and greedy banks)? Apples and oranges. Every state will react forcefully and violently when its power basis, or vulnerabilities, are challenged. The specimens that you are referencing have not yet advanced to the level of Western states and still rely on fairly traditional means of maintaining their grip on power. Further, in many of these nations, the general urban population is far more politically literate than their Western counterparts.
- saryant 10y ago
  InfoWars is leaking.
  - eternalban 10y ago
    What is not leaking is an informed contribution, in your reply, to the conversation. (If you are insinuating that my views are formed by InfoWars.com, permit me to disabuse you of entertaining such thoughts regarding my readings and reflections.)

24gttghh 10y ago

I'd consider Russia as being accurately described in that list. Putin has been in power..how long now? And yes I agree with your sentiments on the US as well. The thing about the US is that there isn't an apparent law forbidding the forming of 3rd+ parties like there is in other countries.

denzil_correa 10y ago

> Then Russia is a democracy. Agree? Because, you know, there are many more parties than in the US. It is important to look at what the phrase "1-party state" means. By its literal definition, you are right. But generally, it may not be used in a literal sense and one has to be open to it. In this case, it meant that side effects bought from a 1 party state such as issues with civil rights etc. This is the reason you have an index to measure it. It brings together different facets and creates a score.

dgudkov 10y ago

And who is the dictator in that "American Empire" dictatorship?

eternalban 10y ago
Names and faces are unknown, but their instruments of directing and managing the "empire" are becoming more visible by each passing day. 2016 was a crazy year but there is that silver lining. [p.s. edit]: Undoing Democracy: Neoliberalism's Remaking of State and Subject This book is a theoretical consideration of the ways that neoliberalism, a peculiar form of reason that configures all aspects of existence in economic terms, is quietly undoing basic elements of democracy. These elements include vocabularies, principles of justice, political cultures, habits of citizenship, practices of rule, and above all, democratic imaginaries. My argument is not merely that markets and money are corrupting or degrading democracy, that political institutions and outcomes are increasingly dominated by finance and corporate capital, or that democracy is being replaced by plutocracy -- rule by and for the rich. Rather, neoliberal reason, ubiquitous today in statecraft and the workplace, in jurisprudence, education, culture, and a vast range of quotidian activity, is converting the distinctly /political/ character, meaning, and operation of democracy's constituent elements into /economic/ ones. Liberal democratic institutions, practices, and habits may not survive this conversion. Radical democratic dreams may not either. Thus. this book charts both a disturbing contemporary condition and the potential barrenness for future democratic projects contained in this troubled present. The institutions and principles aimed at securing democracy, the cultures required to nourish it, the energies needed to animate it, and the citizens practicing, caring for, or desiring it -- all these are challenged by neoliberalism's "economization" of political life and other heretofore noneconomic spheres and activities. - Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism's Stealth Revolution, Ch. 1 /emphasis/ in the original. [1]: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/undoing-demos https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/undoing-demos

aluhut 10y ago

It's not like having more parties makes you automatically a democracy. Even North Korea has 4 parties. But having one is a clear no go. Always. There is not even anything to discuss or to whitewash. Like in NK or Russia.

yongjik 10y ago

You're mixing two things, "empire" (i.e., whether a country is being a dick to other countries and people), and "dictatorship" (whether it is being a dick to its own people).

1024core 10y ago

> In Russia you have a pletora of parties in the elections, in the US just two. Nit: in the US, there are dozens of parties. Most don't get the votes to win, but they exist: Greens, Independent, Libertarian, etc. etc. Bernie Sanders was of neither party.

rat87 10y ago
We do have a few elected Independents, not many though.
mveety 10y ago
Most of those parties don't get a platform, which is a lot of the reason they don't get votes. The Republicans and Democrats control the debates, how to register as a candidate, etc and the media has failed by perpetuating the "two party system" myth.

e40 10y ago

Then Russia is a democracy. Russia was added recently, according to the twitter stream in question.

squozzer 10y ago

That's Mr. American Empire to you droogie! But going meta on pabloski's question, who decides which countries are dictatorships and which are bastions of liberty?

PrBNpKB8 10y ago

After looking at your comment history, this might be the first time that I've seen the "web brigades" (Веб-бригады) at work on a site I frequent. I'm not sure how to feel about that. :| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_brigades https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_brigades or https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B5%D0%B1-%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%8B https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B5%D0%B1-%D0%B1%D1%8... (Though I do find it poetic that the Russian language page about the web brigades is proposed for deletion.)