"Democratic revolutions are contagious. If you can stamp them out in one country, you might prevent them from starting in others." -- Anne Applebaum
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One regrettable aspect of reaching a certain age is the tendency to conclude that the world has changed so much for the worse that all we can do is mourn the loss of the old days. But when you get right down to it, the old days were not all that great to begin with.
Nevertheless, what if -- as an article in the Atlantic argues -- the world actually is demonstrably changing for the worse right now?
In her long, thoughtful article, "The Bad Guys are Winning," Anne Applebaum documents the decline of democracy globally and the accompanying rise of autocratic regimes in Belarus, Venezuela and elsewhere. Anti-democratic ideologies had their moments in the 20th century, of course, but by 2,000 democracy did seem to have prevailed.
Then came 9/11 and a rude awakening to the new millennium. Sixteen years in and the U.S. was confronted with the rise of a despot who angled to achieve a degree of individual power our system had successfully resisted since its founding for over 225 years ago.
When Trump lost his bid for re-election in 2020, he tried to incite a coup to overthrow the results of the election and stay in power. That effort failed, by the width of a fingernail.
But similar efforts have not failed in Belarus, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Russia, China, Nicaragua and many other places around the world. As Applebaum notes:
"Nowadays, autocracies are run not by one bad guy, but by sophisticated networks composed of kleptocratic financial structures, security services (military, police, paramilitary groups, surveillance), and professional propagandists. The members of these networks are connected not only within a given country, but among many countries."
They are all based on an assumption that democracies are too weak in the end to oppose the rise of autocracies.
And to date that assumption is proving to be true. When it comes to the good old days, the world came to a similar historical juncture as to how to confront fascism on the eve of World War Two.
History has a way of repeating itself. Unfortunately, we are reaching that point once again.
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Thanks to friends who alert me to stories I might otherwise have missed, especially Jackie Ross on Afghanistan-based stories.
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TUESDAY's HEADLINES
* The Bad Guys Are Winning -- If the 20th century was the story of slow, uneven progress toward the victory of liberal democracy over other ideologies—communism, fascism, virulent nationalism—the 21st century is, so far, a story of the reverse. (Atlantic)
* How Your Family Tree Could Catch a Killer -- Genetic genealogists like CeCe Moore are cracking cold cases and transforming policing. As DNA analysis redefines ancestry and anonymity, what knowledge should we be permitted to unlock? (New Yorker)
* U.S. anger at Russian anti-satellite missile test debris (BBC)
* Chinese President Xi Jinping greeted U.S. President Joe Biden as 'old friend' at the start of their first video meeting. Biden and Xi stressed their responsibility to the world to avoid conflict as the heads of the two top global economies gathered for virtual talks. (Reuters)
* A newly disclosed memo reveals Trump’s plot to turn the military into his personal goon squad (WP)
* The Wyoming Republican Party voted to quit recognizing Rep. Liz Cheney as a member of the GOP, a symbolic move that reflects ongoing frustration among conservatives who are still firmly allied with Trump and his lies. Cheney’s spokesperson said that the idea she isn’t a conservative Republican is “laughable.” [HuffPost]
* Russia’s dangerous build-up around Ukraine (Financial Times)
* Canada: floods prompt evacuations in region hit by summer wildfires (Guardian)
* A cautionary tale from the streets of San Francisco -- There are 50% more injection drug-users in the city than there are students enrolled at its public high schools (The Economist)
* The Kabul passport office has been forced to suspend operations after equipment used for issuing biometric documents broke down under the pressure of processing thousands of applications a day, the head of the office said. (Reuters)
* Afghans say the Taliban is too busy policing women to prevent a humanitarian disaster that could leave half of Afghanistan hungry this winter (Business Insider)
* Apple digital ID scheme comes with conditions and costs (BBC)
* Underdog No More, a Deaf Football Team Takes California by Storm -- The California School for the Deaf, Riverside, is steamrolling its opponents, electrifying a campus that has seen more than a few athletic defeats. (NYT)
* Stephen Curry’s Scientific Quest for the Perfect Shot--The NBA’s best shooter decided the basket was too big. He used technology to make it smaller. The goal: “swishes within swishes.” (WSJ)
* Idiotic Squirrel With Acorn Runs Away From Man As If He Doesn’t Get To Eat All The Nuts He Wants (The Onion)
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"The Story"
by Norah Jones
The Story
I don't know how to begin
Cause the story has been told before
I will sing along i suppose
I guess it's just how it goes
And now those sprangs in the air
I don't go down anywhere
I guess it's just how it goes
The stories have all been told before
But if you don't char
The light won't hit your eye
And the moon won't rise before it's time
But if you don't char
The light won't hit your eye
And the moon won't rise before it's time
But I don't know how it will end
With all those records playin'
I guess it's just how it goes
The stories have all been told before
I guess it's just how it goes
The stories have all been told before
I guess it's just how it goes
Cause the story has been told before
I will sing along i suppose
I guess it's just how it goes
And now those sprangs in the air
I don't go down anywhere
I guess it's just how it goes
The stories have all been told before
But if you don't char
The light won't hit your eye
And the moon won't rise before it's time
But if you don't char
The light won't hit your eye
And the moon won't rise before it's time
But I don't know how it will end
With all those records playin'
I guess it's just how it goes
The stories have all been told before
I guess it's just how it goes
The stories have all been told before
I guess it's just how it goes
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