Political Consequences
The elections in Russia weren’t really an example for extraordinarily ‘well done’ democratic elections. Actually, the whole Putin-era hasn’t been definable as a democratic rein either. Be it elections or media censorship – Russia simply shouldn’t be used as a shining example to demonstrate democracy!
But when some people demand ‘political consequences‘ [via] i have to ask myself: What for? Helle Dale has written a nice editorial in which she1 compares Russian elections to those held under Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship2. To the end, she cites Angela Merkel:
By international standards, Russia cannot be called a democracy anymore — as German Chancellor Angela Merkel remarked to her credit. She knows something about political repression, having grown up in East Germany. There should be consequences.
Well, what she seems to neglect is that this is one of Angela Merkel’s few often-used statement-capsules: “I know something about political repression, having grown up in East Germany.” She uses those to warm up the air around her – not more (via Pispers).
It should be noted that Merkel provenly didn’t learn anything from her experience under that regime, if we look at the way she is promoting more spying on citizens. This is a reproduction of the CDU party congress a few days ago in which Angela Merkel is trying to warm up the party members:
12:31 Uhr Vielleicht geht ja bei der Sicherheitspolitik etwas mehr: Zwar ist Deutschland bisher von Anschlägen verschont geblieben, doch Merkel fordert neue Konzepte gegen Terrorismus: Einsatz der Bundeswehr im Inneren, beispielsweise. Oder die Online-Durchsuchung. Warmer Applaus. Präventiv maßregelt Merkel gleich jene, die die Online-Durchsuchung als Weg in einen Überwachungsstaat diffamieren. Wieder Applaus.
12:31: Perhaps one can reach more with security policy: It may be true, that Germany until now escaped attacks, but Merkel calls for new concepts against terrorism: deployment of armed forces inside Germany, for example. Or the online search of computers. lukewarm applause. Merkel preventively takes measures to defame those, who see the online search of computers as a way into an orwellian state. Again applause.
So the question becomes: which consequences should Germany bare for having a chancellor and a government that support spying on it’s own citizens?
This isn’t only about Germany. Which consequences should the rising amount of corruption in the EU have?
Similarly we can ask what consequences arise from the NSA spying program. What are the proper consequences for a democracy in which judges are sacked out of political reasons. And I’m not only talking about the USA3 in this case, but also about Pakistan.
Musharraf dismissed the judges after he imposed emergency rule on November 3. He has since stacked the court with loyalists, who have promptly dismissed all complaints against the former general’s election.
One can detect a high amount of cynicism when countries that are drifting more and more towards fascist and authoritarian systems try to selectively ‘punish’ other countries for the ‘misbehavior’. Specially the selectiveness of the critic is very suspicious.
It will be rather interesting to notice, after which concession given by Russia the international critics will stop criticizing it so harshly. When will Putin be welcome again as a friend and partner?
- he?[↩]
- there are much more examples t be used here[↩]
- they have enough problems with their two-party-system, Iraq Guantanamo and renditions[↩]
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Tags: Angela Merkel, Bürgerrechte, english, irak, Pakistan, Russland, USA
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