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September 16, 2010

Comments

Zyme

I believe there is a dualism between a democratic and dictatoric approach:

Whenever times are good and the economy prospers, the people demand their share in the newly gained wealth and thus want political representation.

However when times are tough and the people feel threatened economically or for other reasons, they realize that tough decisions cannot be made when everybody is allowed to have a say in the matter. Thus a charismatic and promising figure finds many followers and can acquire leadership over the entire country.

One should not condemn either of those approaches in my humble opinion. Both have their times and none will last forever.

David

Good point, Zyme. My concern is that in this time of economic crisis people are inclined to demonize a particular ethnic or minority group.

Also, I hope that a "charismatic and promising figure" does not emerge and the movement will just disappear.

Zyme

If you had wished for something differently, I would have been shocked :)

Then I am right to assume that you would consider the democratic approach to always be the right one, regardless of the circumstances?

But doesn't this also mean that you neglect the differences in mentalities across the world? There are individualistic and authoritarian peoples, aren't there?

I surely agree that in the anglo-saxon part of the world the individual's point of view is crucial.
However, in nations where the majority's will is of primary importance, the fate of minorities plays too little a role to prevent scapegoating.

As regards charismatic leaders: I think in nations with millions of people there is a certain chance of such a figure emerging with every year of a real or perceived crisis passing.
I think of it like playing roulette: Even if you keep betting on a single number only, over and over, it is only a matter of time until you hit it.

dz alexander

// Thus the Journal of International Policy recently wrote: "Today when dictatorial powers and measures are discussed, then it is usually in the context of a "provisional dictatorship" (as defined by the Nazi jurist Carl Schmitt)." //

Thanks for the link to german-foreign-policy.com . I've just been reading articles detailing Germany's determination to elbow its way to Arctic resources.

I note an elaborated form of your above quote, in English, here --

A Bit of Dictatorship 2010/06/15
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/56352

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