When it comes to the stakes in the seemingly slow-motion U.S. domestic political crisis, it’s necessary to keep an eye overseas as well. Not only are the fissures that threaten to crack apart our society appearing in many other places around the globe, over half of the world’s population already lives under authoritarian regimes.
Less than a fifth live in what are deemed by human rights organizations as “fully free” societies, including the U.S. (for now).
So full democracy is a comparative rarity and a genuinely endangered species at this point around the world.
Authoritarian leaders everywhere have been paying very close attention to Trump’s ascendance and ongoing support in the U.S. and that is one reason the Biden administration is beset with challenges from Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, the entire Middle East, and other parts of Africa, Asia and South America.
Any sign of domestic weakness automatically leads to an uptick in international challenges to U.S. supremacy. Foreign and domestic affairs are inextricably linked, more so now in this age of globalization than ever before in history.
The interlinked planetary economy is every bit as vulnerable to the abuses of monopoly power as our political systems. Too much power centralized in any one entity is a formula for widespread disaster.
And in too many ways we are living in the Age of Monopolies. Nowhere is this more evident than in the highly centralized tech sector, where five massive companies dominate all areas of activity that generate profits.
But here we have a contradiction. The Big Tech firms are not necessarily in league with political authoritarians — a strong streak of libertarianism has long characterized tech culture and still does. And technology is neutral when it comes to politics — it’s not left wing or right wing, liberal or conservative.
The developers hard at work creating web.3 are only the latest example of a group of idealists trying to create a more decentralized and accountable digital world, but unfortunately their work remains veiled behind a vague use of language and the arrogance that also reigns throughout Silicon Valley developer circles.
Therefore, what hope a more democratic digital landscape might hold to combat authoritarianism at this point in our history is highly questionable.
The blunt truth is that rapidly growing disparities in wealth and power are the true enemies of democracy. And that, my friends, is only the bottom line that matters.
***
Today’s Headlines:
Pence and Jan. 6 Committee Engage in High-Stakes Dance Over Testimony (NYT)
Imagine another American Civil War, but this time in every state (NPR)
Donald Trump's lawyer argued in court that the former president cannot be sued over his fiery speech before the deadly attack on the Capitol because he was acting within the scope of his official presidential duties. (Reuters)
Civil Suits Against Trump Seek Damages for Jan. 6 Attack (NYT)
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) told the truth in an interview, sending former President Donald Trump into a whiny rage. “The election was fair, as fair as we have seen,” Rounds said on ABC News. “We simply did not win the election, as Republicans, for the presidency.” Trump called Rounds "woke" and said, "I will never endorse this jerk again." [HuffPost]
The global decline in democracy has accelerated — Freedom in the World 2021 finds that the annual gap between losses and gains widened in 2020, and fewer than a fifth of the world’s people now live in fully free countries. (Freedom House)
World Bank warns global economy faces grim outlook (BBC)
Fed’s Powell: Inflation poses a major threat to job market (AP)
Inflation in rich economies surges to a 25-year high (Financial Times)
The United States reported 1.35 million new coronavirus infections, according to a Reuters tally, the highest daily total for any country in the world as the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant showed no signs of slowing. (Reuters)
More than 1 in 5 California COVID tests are coming back positive (SFC)
Should Teen Boys Get Boosted? — Third shots for adolescent boys and young men were already a hard sell. Then came Omicron. (Atlantic)
Two-speed pandemic recovery will worsen inequality, World Bank warns (Financial Times)
California authorities are allowing hospital workers who test positive but have no symptoms to keep working (AP)
The Omicron variant is on track to infect more than half of Europeans, but it should not yet be seen as a flu-like endemic illness, the World Health Organization said. (Reuters)
Pfizer plans to produce up to 100 million doses of an omicron-specific vaccine by spring (WP)
Preliminary findings from two South African clinical trials suggest the Omicron variant has a much higher rate of "asymptomatic carriage"than earlier variants, which could explain why it has spread so rapidly across the globe. (Reuters)
US announces $308 million in aid for Afghans as crisis grows (AP)
UN agencies make $5 billion appeal for Afghanistan (NHK)
Kabul's markets full of food, but no-one has money (BBC)
How School Closures Made Me Question My Progressive Politics (Politico)
America’s Approach to School Closures Is Unusual — Omicron is forcing us to revisit one of the most sensitive and consequential debates of the pandemic: what to do about schools. (Atlantic)
The Senate battle over whether election laws signify a new ‘Jim Crow’ (WP)
Extreme weather in the U.S. cost 688 lives and $145 billion last year, NOAA says (NPR)
Ocean warmth sets record high in 2021 due to greenhouse gas emissions (WP)
Cyber risks add to climate threat, World Economic Forum warns (NPR)
Fish in the driver’s seat: Israeli scientists teach goldfish to operate vehicle (WP)
He was a handful’ – Hunter S Thompson’s PA and photographer relives her wild job (Guardian)
‘Exceptional’ ruins of Roman settlement found in England, including giant road, coins and makeup (WP)
Man Horrified After Genealogy Test Confirms He Has No Past (The Onion)
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