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If China demanded that its great firewall apply to Chinese citizens abroad, this would be considered a shocking authoritarian overreach by most people in the we

If China demanded that its great firewall apply to Chinese citizens abroad, this would be considered a shocking authoritarian overreach by most people in the west. Yet a judge in Brazil can order that, and it's just taken at face value? Put another way: if the BBC can identify Bolsonaro as "far-right", why not call the judge "far-left" for doing something that not even the Communist Party of China does? Or far-something, at any rate.

ben_w 6y ago
The second paragraph doesn’t follow from the first. “Rule of law” and “stop taking the piss” aren’t left- or right-wing. Also: * China achieves the same goals with the Great Firewall * Despite this, “Gap apologised to China for selling a shirt in its North American outlets featuring a map of the country without Taiwan and Arunachal Pradesh included” - https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-maps-destroyed-taiwan-arunachal-pradesh-india-territory-disputed-south-tibet-a8840836.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-maps-des... * Even in liberal democracies: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libel_tourism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libel_tourism
- Camillo 6y ago
  I think I have more of a European (civil law?) conception of "rule of law", centered on the law itself: it must be clearly written, it must apply equally to everyone, etc. Americans seem to use the term for something that should more properly be called "rule of magistrates". Judges can order pretty much whatever they want (unless overruled by a higher judge); prosecutors can charge or not charge different people for the same crime at their discretion; the Supreme Court just grabbed the power to decide what is constitutional, which the constitution nowhere grants it; etc.
  - senkora 6y ago
    > “rule of magistrates” A legal system where judicial precedent has the force of law is called a Common Law system, as opposed to a Civil Law system. Common Law is less of an American thing and more of a former British empire thing.
jhanschoo 6y ago
Isn't this already true wrt China? China requires companies with ops in China to abide by censorship rules, and companies without ops in China are at risk of being blocked.

ben_w 6y ago

The second paragraph doesn’t follow from the first. “Rule of law” and “stop taking the piss” aren’t left- or right-wing. Also: * China achieves the same goals with the Great Firewall * Despite this, “Gap apologised to China for selling a shirt in its North American outlets featuring a map of the country without Taiwan and Arunachal Pradesh included” - https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-maps-destroyed-taiwan-arunachal-pradesh-india-territory-disputed-south-tibet-a8840836.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-maps-des... * Even in liberal democracies: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libel_tourism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libel_tourism

Camillo 6y ago
I think I have more of a European (civil law?) conception of "rule of law", centered on the law itself: it must be clearly written, it must apply equally to everyone, etc. Americans seem to use the term for something that should more properly be called "rule of magistrates". Judges can order pretty much whatever they want (unless overruled by a higher judge); prosecutors can charge or not charge different people for the same crime at their discretion; the Supreme Court just grabbed the power to decide what is constitutional, which the constitution nowhere grants it; etc.
- senkora 6y ago
  > “rule of magistrates” A legal system where judicial precedent has the force of law is called a Common Law system, as opposed to a Civil Law system. Common Law is less of an American thing and more of a former British empire thing.

jhanschoo 6y ago

Isn't this already true wrt China? China requires companies with ops in China to abide by censorship rules, and companies without ops in China are at risk of being blocked.