Washington Post (August 18)
“Just as Afghanistan refuted the Soviet delusion that communism was the future, it has rebutted the American fantasy that there is a functional liberal democracy inside every theocracy or dictatorship, just waiting for us to let it out. Ethnicity, culture and religion are fundamental elements of human nature that have to be acknowledged, not engineering problems that can be solved.”
Tags: Acknowledged, Afghanistan, Communism, Culture, Delusion, Dictatorship, Ethnicity, Fantasy, Future, Human nature, Liberal democracy, Rebutted, Refuted, Religion, Soviet, Theocracy, U.S.
The Star (May 13)
“The message from Malaysians, cutting across all races, has not merely been clear, but deafening, too. For the first time in the nation’s history, the people voted single-mindedly. Race and religion…were no longer attractive propositions to the electorate…. The massive defeat of the Barisan couldn’t have happened without the bulk of Malay and Muslim voters pushing for this historic change.”
Tags: Barisan, Defeat, Electorate, Malay, Malaysians, Muslim, Race, Religion, Single minded, Vote
Barrons (November 10)
“Politics and religion may divide people, but everyone loves a good sale.” On Wednesday, Alibaba Holdings, the e-commerce giant, will start “its sixth annual 11.11 Global Shopping Festival. The 24-hour shopping-palooza, also known as Singles Day, generated $9.3 billion in sales last year, dramatically more than the $2.7 billion sold during America’s Cyber Monday. Analysts predict sales will set a new record this week.”
Tags: 11.11, Alibaba, Cyber Monday, E-commerce, Politics, Religion, Sale, Sales, Singles Day, U.S.
Washington Post (December 29)
In China, rule by law is an “empty promise.” In the years since President Xi Jinping “came to power, hundreds of rights defenders and intellectuals have been thrown into prison for political reasons. Properties have been expropriated or demolished, free speech has been restricted, religion has been suppressed, women have been forced to have abortions, and torture has multiplied. In Xinjiang and Tibet, the authorities have carried out one shocking human rights catastrophe after another. The abuses have never stopped.” The current Government campaign of “‘governing the country according to law’ is just another attempt by the party to address its crisis of legitimacy. Such slogans may help the party fool people within China and the international community.”
Tags: Abuse, China, Crisis, Empty promise, Free speech, Government, Human rights, Legitimacy, Prison, Religion, Rule by law, Tibet, Torture, Xi, Xinjiang
The Economist (June 8)
The riots in Turkey have less to do with religion and more to do with concerns over unchecked power. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has racked up numerous successes in governing Turkey, but his power has grown to uncomfortable proportions. “The real lesson of these events is about authoritarianism: Turkey will not put up with a middle-class democrat behaving like an Ottoman sultan.”
