30 October 2011

Article: Demonomics: Leibniz and the antinomy of modern power

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Article: Demonomics: Leibniz and the antinomy of modern power

Kyle McGee, an independent scholar who was awarded a J.D. from Villanova University in 2009, is the author of "Demonomics: Leibniz and the antinomy of modern power" ("Radical Philosophy: A Journal of Socialist and Feminist Philosophy", 168, July/August 2011: pp. 33-45).

Excerpt: "Two apparently opposed approaches to power in political philosophy - political theology and biopower - are the contemporary heirs to this critical tradition. Each ... advancing something like a theory of radical democracy on its normative edge. ... Together, however, they compose an antinomy. ... Applying pressure to the antinomy yields an alternative concept of power that belongs to a non-democratic discourse. ... The conclusion restates some key findings that gesture towards a finally non-democratic political philosophy for the present."

29 October 2011

Article: In Hungary, a worrisome trend toward repression

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Article: In Hungary, a worrisome trend toward repression

András B. Göllner (Concordia University) sees, "In Hungary, a worrisome trend toward repression", in an opinion piece published by the "Montreal Gazette" on 26 October 2011.

Excerpt: "100,000 people were ... protesting against the growing authoritarianism of ... the government of Viktor Orbán ... Hungary is the first European Union member state to cross the line separating democratic from autocratic governance. ... Canadian and U.S. scholars ... are blunt in their warnings: 'The virus of autocracy does not recognize international borders and ... rogue governments, such as Orbán's, ... will simply demonstrate to other would-be autocrats that the road is open toward autocracy in Europe and the rest of the world. ...'"

Chapters: The Hatred of Democracy Revisited / What Counts as Democracy? Is Democracy Really what Counts? / The Controversy of Muslim Education

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Chapters: The Hatred of Democracy Revisited / What Counts as Democracy? Is Democracy Really what Counts? / The Controversy of Muslim Education in an Austrian Democracy / Universal Choice or Democracy

Four short papers published as chapters in the free eBook, "Problems of Democracy", eds. Nico Bechter and Gabriele De Angelis (Interdisciplinary Press, 2010). Quotes are taken from the abstracts.

Franc Rottiers (Ghent University), "The Hatred of Democracy Revisited" (pp. 11-7): "In his Hatred of Democracy Jacques Rancière defines democracy as a way to have power over two ‘excesses’. On the one hand there is the excess of public participation in democratic life. On the other hand there is the excess of individualistic consumerism. ... By drawing upon Rancière's characterization of democracy, this article will lay out the conditions under which 'control' has emerged as the democratic principle par excellence and explore how exactly this principle limits what it means to be a citizen."

Giuliana Di Biase ("G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara), "What Counts as Democracy? Is Democracy Really what Counts?" (pp. 39-46): "[A]ccording to some political scientists we are living in an age of 'post-democracy', since the ideal of democracy has entered in collision with reality. As a political system of government, democracy was born to put a limit to the absolute power of kings and aristocrats, but today it seems it has become a tool in the hands of new powerful oligarchies that control the global economy".

Cornelia Caseau (Burgundy School of Business), "The Controversy of Muslim Education in an Austrian Democracy" (pp. 131-42): "At the beginning of 2009, a Lebanese researcher living in Vienna, Mouhanad Khorchide, published a dissertation which caused a scandal. Khorchide revealed that 21.9% of Islamic teachers in Austria refuse to teach democratic values because of their incompatibility with Islam."

Mary-Ann Crumplin (Heythrop College), "Universal Choice or Democracy" (pp. 161-8): "In this paper, I argue that our idea of democracy is unthinkable because our ideal of democratic freedom, that is freedom to choose, contains the fundamental paradox which destabilises the very idea of democracy. Political disillusionment is the necessary result of our fidelity to the concept of free choice."

If you don't want to register with the publisher to obtain your free copy of the book, let me know and I'll forward it to you.

Article: The Dark Side of Citizenship: Membership, Territory, and the (Anti-)Democratic Polity

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Article: The Dark Side of Citizenship: Membership, Territory, and the (Anti-)Democratic Polity

Published in a Berkeley Law online journal: Clarissa Rile Hayward (Washington University in St. Louis), "The Dark Side of Citizenship: Membership, Territory, and the (Anti-)Democratic Polity" ("Issues in Legal Scholarship", 9 [1], 2011: art. 5).

Quote: "Linda Bosniak's ... and Ayelet Shachar's ... are important and provocative new works, each of which ... articulates a powerful critique of the institution of citizenship ... Because power relations cross the boundaries that define territorially bounded political communities, neither extending nor redistributing the benefits attached to membership in those communities is enough."

Article: Urban Politics Reconsidered: Growth Machine to Post-democratic City?

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Article: Urban Politics Reconsidered: Growth Machine to Post-democratic City?

Just published: Gordon MacLeod (Durham University), "Urban Politics Reconsidered: Growth Machine to Post-democratic City?" ("Urban Studies", 48 [12], September 2011: pp. 2629-60).

Quote: "[D]owntown renaissance is ... choreographed around an implicit consensus to 'police' the circumspect city, while presenting as ultra-politics anything that might disturb the strict ethics of consumerist citizenship. Beyond downtown, a range of shadow governments, secessionary place-makings and privatisms are remaking the political landscape of post-suburbia. ... This paper suggests that recent theorisations on post-democracy and the post-political may help to decode the contemporary landscape of urban politics beyond governance".

28 October 2011

Article: Marx and Engels' Critique of Democracy: The Materialist Character of their Concept of Autonomy

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Article: Marx and Engels' Critique of Democracy: The Materialist Character of their Concept of Autonomy

Vasilis Grollios, an independent scholar who received his PhD in 2009 from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, is the author of an article, "Marx and Engels' Critique of Democracy: The Materialist Character of their Concept of Autonomy" ("Critique: Journal of Socialist Theory", 39 [1], January 2011: pp. 9-26).

Quote: "Rather than focusing on one aspect of Marx and Engels' understanding of democracy, this article attempts to clarify the overall development of this concept in their political theory. ... Democracy for Marx and Engels was a moment of social practice, the social form taken by the most important social relationship, capital".

27 October 2011

Article: Can Democracy Cope?

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Article: Can Democracy Cope?

Just published: David Runciman (Cambridge), "Can Democracy Cope?" ("The Political Quarterly", 82 [4], October-December 2011: pp. 536-45).

Quote: "The success story of democracy over the twentieth century has given way to doubts in the twenty-first, as democracies struggle to cope with difficult wars, mounting debts, climate change and the rise of China. This essay ... distinguishes three distinct views of what can go wrong with democracy ... Democratic success creates blind spots and a reluctance to tackle long-term problems."

Article: Surveillance in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008: A Comparison of the Olympic Surveillance Modalities and Legacies in Two Different Olympic Host

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Article: Surveillance in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008: A Comparison of the Olympic Surveillance Modalities and Legacies in Two Different Olympic Host Regimes

Just published: Minas Samatas (University of Crete), "Surveillance in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008: A Comparison of the Olympic Surveillance Modalities and Legacies in Two Different Olympic Host Regimes" ("Urban Studies", 48 [15], November 2011: pp. 3347-66).

Quote: "All post-9/11 Olympic Games and sport mega events deploy super-surveillance systems, as a future security investment, albeit at the expense of rights and freedoms. This paper compares the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games' surveillance systems, to assess their authoritarian effects and legacies in democratic and authoritarian Olympic host regimes. ... It is also argued that these surveillance systems have an emerging anti-democratic legacy which stretches beyond the hosting of the Olympics."

This article forms part of a journal special issue on "Security and Surveillance at Sport Mega Events".

24 October 2011

Article: Interrogating post-democratization: Reclaiming egalitarian political spaces

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Article: Interrogating post-democratization: Reclaiming egalitarian political spaces

Just published: Erik Swyngedouw (University of Manchester), "Interrogating post-democratization: Reclaiming egalitarian political spaces" ("Political Geography", 30 [7], September 2011: pp. 370-80).

Quote: "There is now an emerging body of thought on the ... erosion of democracy and of the public sphere, and the contested emergence of a post-political or post-democratic socio-spatial configuration. I situate and explore this alleged 'post-democratization' in light of recent post-Althusserian political thought. ... In the concluding part, perspectives for re-vitalising the political possibilities of a spatialized emancipatory project are presented."

Article: Democracy and Minimal Politics: The Political Difference and Its Consequences

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Article: Democracy and Minimal Politics: The Political Difference and Its Consequences

Just published: Oliver Marchart (University of Lucerne), "Democracy and Minimal Politics: The Political Difference and Its Consequences" ("South Atlantic Quarterly", 110 [4], fall 2011: pp. 965-73).

Quote: "First, democracy as a regime in which the absence of any ultimate ground of the social is accepted has to be defended against the 'new antidemocrats' (such as Slavoj Žižek, Alain Badiou, or the Invisible Committee). ... Second, a notion of 'minimal politics' has to be developed in order to counter recurring fantasies of 'grand politics,' that is, of an ultimate revolutionary break or a decisive political act."

Article: Democracy has failed South Asia: Nepal PM

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Article: Democracy has failed South Asia: Nepal PM

The article, "Democracy has failed South Asia: Nepal PM", by Sachin Parashar, a reporter for the "Times of India" news agency, TNN, appeared on the paper's website on 23 October 2011.

Excerpt: "Nepalese Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai ..., leader of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), said democracy in its traditional form had failed the people of South Asia by not being participatory enough. ... Bhattarai said people might have to take up arms again if the traditional form of democracy fails to address their concerns. ... 'The copied traditional democracy in South Asia serves only small sections of the society. ...'".

22 October 2011

Article: The abrogation of the electorate: an emergent African phenomenon

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Article: The abrogation of the electorate: an emergent African phenomenon

From a journal special issue on "Democratization in Africa: Challenges and Prospects": Wale Adebanwia (University of California, Davis) and Ebenezer Obadareb (University of Kansas), "The abrogation of the electorate: an emergent African phenomenon" ("Democratization", 18 [2], 2011: pp. 311-35).

Quote: "This paper captures an emerging African phenomenon in which the form of democracy is brazenly used to invalidate its very substance. Drawing on particulars from Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria, we articulate the re-ascendance and re-invigoration of anti-democratic forces across Africa".

Other articles in this issue discuss specific cases.

Article: The Rise and Fall of Democracy Governance in International Law: A Reply to Susan Marks

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Article: The Rise and Fall of Democracy Governance in International Law: A Reply to Susan Marks

Has the "requirement of democratic origins of government" come to an end?: Jean d'Aspremont (University of Amsterdam), "The Rise and Fall of Democracy Governance in International Law: A Reply to Susan Marks" ("European Journal of International Law", 22 [2], May 2011: pp. 549-70).

Quote: "[T]his article argues that the rapid rise of non-democratic super-powers, growing security concerns at the international level, the 2007-2010 economic crisis, the instrumentalization of democratization policies of Western countries as well as the rise of some authoritarian superpowers could be currently cutting short the consolidation of the principle of democratic legitimacy in international law."

20 October 2011

CFP: "Predemocracy", "Postdemocracy", "Autocracy"?: On the State of the Comparative Study of Political Systems (in German)

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CFP: "Predemocracy", "Postdemocracy", "Autocracy"?: On the State of the Comparative Study of Political Systems (in German)

The annual conference of the "Comparative Political Science" section of the German Political Science Association (DVPW) will take place 29-31 March 2012 at the Philipps University of Marburg, under the theme, "'Prädemokratie', 'Postdemokratie', 'Autokratie'?: Zum Stand vergleichender Herrschaftsforschung" ("'Predemocracy', 'Postdemocracy', 'Autocracy'?: On the State of the Comparative Study of Political Systems"; my rough translation). The deadline for paper proposals, in German or English (at least for one panel), is 9 November 2011.

Please note that the German word, "Herrschaft", has various meanings, almost all of them implying some form of rule or governance or domination. The composite term, "Herrschaftsforschung", is not commonly used and basically untranslatable. It may refer to the academic study of "Herrschaft" in any one of these senses, or, more likely, that of "political regimes" or "political systems".

Article: The Jewish Community should be Wary of the Anti-Semitic "Occupy Wall St." mob

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Article: The Jewish Community should be Wary of the Anti-Semitic "Occupy Wall St." mob

On 18 October 2011, Charlie Wolf, a UK-based American radio talk-show host and political commentator, used his "Daily Mail" blog to warn: "The Jewish Community should be Wary of the Anti-Semitic 'Occupy Wall St.' mob".

Excerpt: "The 'Occupy Movement' is ... anti-democratic, anti-liberal and goes against mainstream Jewish thought. ... There has been no shortage of vile anti-Semitic slogans at the occupy Wall Street protest. ... Many Jews should be shocked to join any movement that has received endorsement from both the Communist Party and the Nazis. ... They are a mob, seeking mob rule, ... with an agenda that includes not reforming the system but bringing it down."

19 October 2011

Article: Is the Occupy Movement Anti-Democratic?

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Article: Is the Occupy Movement Anti-Democratic?

Writing for the "Washington Post"-affiliated online magazine, "Slate", columnist Anne Applebaum (Legatum Institute), on 17 October 2011, asked: "Is the Occupy Movement Anti-Democratic?".

Excerpt: "In New York, marchers chanted, 'This is what democracy looks like,' but, actually, this isn't what democracy looks like. This is what freedom of speech looks like. Democracy looks a lot more boring. Democracy requires institutions, ... designed to reflect, at least crudely, the desire for political change within a given nation. But they cannot cope with the desire for global political change, nor can they control things that happen outside their own borders ... - globalization has clearly begun to undermine the legitimacy of Western democracies. 'Global' activists, if they are not careful, will accelerate that decline."

15 October 2011

Article: Democracy - an inventory (from Spanish)

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Article: Democracy - an inventory (from Spanish)

"Democracy - an inventory" is the English translation of an opinion piece by José Ignacio Torreblanca (National University of Distance Education, Madrid), originally published in Spanish in "El País" under the title "El embudo democrático", on 7 October 2011. Translated courtesy to the Paris-based site Presseurop .eu, which compiles articles from hundreds of European newspapers every day.

Excerpt: "Greece and the United States ... are cradles of democracy: the first of direct democracy, the second of representative democracy. The ideal of democracy ... is what is being challenged today. ... From Athens to Wall Street, the ideal of democracy is struggling to survive."

Original article: http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/embudo/democratico/elpepiint/20111007elpepiint_8/Tes

Public lecture: Looming Crisis of Democracy: Lessons from Two Decades of Post-Yugoslav Democratization

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Public lecture: Looming Crisis of Democracy: Lessons from Two Decades of Post-Yugoslav Democratization

Vedran Dzihic (Johns Hopkins University) will be giving a lunch-time lecture on the "Looming Crisis of Democracy: Lessons from Two Decades of Post-Yugoslav Democratization", organized by the European Union Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, on 2 November 2011, 12.00-1.00 pm.

Quote: "This talk will focus on the past and the present of democracy in the countries of the Former Yugoslavia. It will ... conclude with an analysis of the post-conflict democratization processes and the recently emerging phenomenon of post-democratic tendencies and democracy fatigue in the region".

Free and open to the public.

13 October 2011

Article: Democracy is failing the planet

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Article: Democracy is failing the planet

To paraphrase Shakespeare: The professor doth protest too much, methinks. Stressing that he rejects the idea of "suspending democracy ... as impractical and, well, anti-democratic", Clive Hamilton (Charles Sturt University) nonetheless proceeds to bolster the argument of those environmentalists who would suspend democracy to cure climate change. His debate contribution, "Democracy is failing the planet", was published on 13 October 2011 on the Australian university-funded research news and information site, "The Conversation".

Excerpt: "[W]e should be concerned about the corpses of science, reason and expertise that democracy is leaving in its wake. ... Over the last decade or so, politically driven climate deniers have adroitly used the instruments of democratic practice to erode the authority of professional expertise. ... In this way, democracy has defeated science. ... It is this dictatorship of ignorance that is failing the planet."

More on this line of thought here: http://anti-democracy-agenda.blogspot.com/search/label/climate%20changeEdit

09 October 2011

Article: Profound shift as China marches back to Mao

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Article: Profound shift as China marches back to Mao

John Garnaut, Beijing correspondent for Australia's "Sydney Morning Herald", warns of a "Profound shift as China marches back to Mao", in an article dated 9 October 2011.

Excerpt: "China is heading into a new Mao-inspired epoch of socialism and nationalism, says the founder of China's most powerful leftist internet platform. ... Professor Han and his Utopia website ... have been given a free hand to push Maoist and extreme anti-Western ideas while launching blistering attacks on liberal opponents, including those who hold senior positions inside the party."

08 October 2011

Article: Democracy promotion - a geostrategic contest

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Article: Democracy promotion - a geostrategic contest

On 6 October 2011, the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy's "Democracy Digest" ran an article by Jakub Grygiel (Johns Hopkins University), titled "Democracy promotion - a geostrategic contest".

Excerpt: "A quick look at the world map makes apparent that in many of the regions where the United States and its allies are promoting democracy, other powers are vying for influence by either undermining our efforts or by trying to hijack the outcome. ... Only the United States has the political clout and the military might to deter and counter the aggressive behavior of revisionist regional powers. ... President Obama can therefore either ... support democratization or seek harmonious relations with Great Powers. He cannot do both. "

Article: With democracy failing what is succeeding?

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Article: With democracy failing what is succeeding?

The strange case of a liberal journalist who represents a centrist-conservative party (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) in parliament (National Assembly) and calls for "democratic fascism". Only in Pakistan ... Ayaz Amir's opinion piece, "With democracy failing what is succeeding?", appeared on 7 October 2011 in the country's largest English-language daily, "The News International".

Excerpts: "No one should be in any doubt that the democracy hatched by the 2008 elections is proving a long drawn-out failure ... because of the incompetence of the traditional governing elites, political and military. ... The most striking effect of the breakdown of democracy is the death of hope. Cynicism was the dominant Pakistani mood in the Musharraf era. The prevailing mood now is one of unrelieved pessimism. ... This excuse of a democracy is a washout."

07 October 2011

Articles: Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists? / Nigeria's Boko Haram and MEND quagmire

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Articles: Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists? / Nigeria's Boko Haram and MEND quagmire

Little attention has been paid outside Nigeria to the ideology of a violent Islamist group pejoratively termed "Boko Haram" - meaning: Western education is sinful -, even after the deadly bombing of the UN headquarters in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, on 26 August 2011. Here are two short articles that make some interesting points.

On the day of the UN bombing, Farouk Chothia, a journalist with the BBC African Service, asked: "Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists?" (link at the bottom).

Excerpt: "Boko Haram ... is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state. ... Boko Haram promotes a version of Islam which makes it 'haram', or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society. This includes voting in elections ... Boko Haram regards the Nigerian state as being run by non-believers, even when the country had a Muslim president." (bold removed)

Already on 10 June 2011, a freelance writer, Konye Obaji Ori, commented on the site of the bimonthly Paris-based business magazine, "The Africa Report", on "Nigeria's Boko Haram and MEND quagmire": http://www.theafricareport.com/201106105141440/society-culture/commentary-nigerias-boko-haram-and-mend-quagmire.html

Excerpt: "Espousing a theological framework of social analysis, Boko Haram fervidly opposes the pluralism, tolerance and civic mutuality generated by the survival of the Nigerian state. Opposed to democracy, Western-style education, and modern science, ... Boko Haram have killed several civilians and government forces in a crusade against Western ideologies spreading around the country - especially in the north."

Book: Dissenting Electorate: Those Who Refuse to Vote and the Legitimacy of Their Opposition

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Book: Dissenting Electorate: Those Who Refuse to Vote and the Legitimacy of Their Opposition

Libertarians and individualist anarchists against democracy, compiled in "Dissenting Electorate: Those Who Refuse to Vote and the Legitimacy of Their Opposition", edited by Carl Watner with Wendy McElroy, both freelance writers and book authors (McFarland, 2001).

Quote: "This book is an anthology of articles and excerpts from a variety of sources that deal with the topic of nonvoting. In presenting the minority view that important moral and political reasons abound for not voting, the book unfolds four [sic] general arguments: voting is implicitly a coercive act because it lends support to a compulsory state; voting reinforces the legitimacy of the state; and existing nonpolitical, voluntarist alternatives better serve society."

Watner's essay, "The Case Against Democracy", can be read here: http://www.wendymcelroy.com/news.php?extend.4198

06 October 2011

Book: Religious Liberties: Anti-Catholicism and Liberal Democracy in Nineteenth-Century U.S. Literature and Culture

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Book: Religious Liberties: Anti-Catholicism and Liberal Democracy in Nineteenth-Century U.S. Literature and Culture

A book that explores how "Catholicism was often presented in the U.S. not only as a threat to Protestantism but also as an enemy of democracy": Elizabeth Fenton (University of Vermont), "Religious Liberties: Anti-Catholicism and Liberal Democracy in Nineteenth-Century U.S. Literature and Culture" (Oxford University Press, March 2011).

Quote (chapter 3): "Antebellum captive nun tales such as Maria Monk's Awful Disclosures of the Hôtel Dieu Nunnery in Montreal (1836) present the Church as a master of argument and suggest that an antidemocratic group could gain control over public opinion through debate."

(chapter 6) "[F]igurations of a rigid and dogmatic Catholicism facilitated Adams’s and Twain’s parodies of democratic praxis. While both Adams and Twain rehearse anti-Catholic rhetoric typical of nineteenth-century U.S. public culture, they do so to critique the absolutism that they viewed as being central to the liberal tradition."

05 October 2011

Article: Autocrats rule, democrats flounder

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Article: Autocrats rule, democrats flounder

Published on 3 October 2011, on Reuters' "The Great Debate" blog, an article by John Lloyd (Oxford) finds that "Autocrats rule, democrats flounder".

Excerpt: "[M]ost authoritarian leaders are presently both more successful and (much) more popular than most democratic ones. ... These men and one woman are democratically elected, head major political parties which depend on the favour of electorates and spend much of their time explaining their policies and seeking support. Yet everywhere, they are said to be held in contempt - often by the people who voted for them."

02 October 2011

Article: Seasteading: Striking at the Root of Bad Government

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Article: Seasteading: Striking at the Root of Bad Government

The academic reception of seasteading and experimental "competitive government" has been hampered by the lack of publications that meet the high standards of scholarly citability. While someone interested in these concepts will easily enough find relevant information online, most of it comes in the form of blog posts, newsletters, unpublished theses, and research papers that are not clearly marked as either citable or drafts/work in progress. The promised seasteading book remains elusive.

While looking at such sources I have come across one recent publication, though, that meets academic criteria: Patri Friedman and Brad Taylor (both Seasteading Institute), "Seasteading: Striking at the Root of Bad Government" ("The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty", 61 [2], March 2011: pp. 33-7).

Excerpt: "Libertarians have done a wonderful job of pointing out the inefficiency and cruelty of government and identifying some of the causes. We know that current policies are bad; we know that such policies are the inevitable outcome of unrestrained democracy ... Developing the technology to create permanent, autonomous communities on the ocean seems like a strange way to solve the problem of bad governance, but we're convinced it's the best chance we have for liberty in our lifetimes. ... The ocean is a vast frontier unclaimed by States. While they claim some jurisdiction over resources in large areas of ocean, there is much space for political experimentation within these zones and plenty of space outside any State's practical reach. Starting your own country on the ocean will be difficult and expensive, but at least it's possible."

The link at the bottom of this post is to a full-text copy of the journal.

For two earlier posts on seasteading see: http://anti-democracy-agenda.blogspot.com/search/label/seasteading

From the above article as well as from a contribution by Michael Keenan, the new President of the California-based Seasteading Institute, to the Institute's October 2011 newsletter I get the impression that their argumentative focus is shifting more and more in the direction of experimental and competitive government. Here is what Keenan writes, under the title, "Seasteading, a Common Cause for Many Ideologies":

"I used to know the best kind of government. I told my friends, argued with my opponents, and voted for my favorite political party so that the kind of government I wanted was the one that everyone would have. I didn't claim to know the single best car for everyone, or the best flavor of ice cream, or the right size of shoe that everyone should wear. But when it came to the most difficult question a citizen faces, a decision encompassing economics, history, military strategy, sociology, and many other fields, then I wanted to answer that question for you. We don't all want the same car, ice cream, or shoes. And we don't all want the same government. When seasteading becomes a reality, we won't have to have the same government.

"If you're dissatisfied with the few monolithic options on land, you'll be able to join or build a new society on the sea. I no longer think I know what government is best for you. I'd like you to choose from a diverse range of options - liberal, conservative, libertarian, socialist, futarchical, neocameralist, polycentric, whatever you want. If you don't find something you like, then I hope you start your own government. I'm no longer even sure what government is best for me, and I'm excited to see what options are available when smart, creative, entrepreneurial people are free to implement their ideas.

"The Seasteading Institute doesn't want to tell you what politics you should have. There is, however, one rule we believe all societies, land and sea, should abide by: freedom of exit. When people are free to build new societies and freedom of exit is respected, we will have the ability to choose whatever freedoms, rights, entitlements or responsibilities are valuable to us. Without freedom of exit, citizens are nearly slaves, unable to escape whatever rules or abuses their government imposes upon them.

"Soon, you won't have to just imagine your favorite society - you will join it or build it yourself. Seasteading is the common cause of many ideologies. You and I might have drastically different political ideals, but by working toward a seasteading world we can all have the societies we want."

Excellent, and surely worth quoting in full. If only the source wasn't a mere newsletter ...

Article: As Scorn for Vote Grows, Protests Surge Around Globe

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Article: As Scorn for Vote Grows, Protests Surge Around Globe

On 27 September 2011, the "New York Times" published on its website an article by Berlin-based foreign correspondent, Nicholas Kulish, titled "As Scorn for Vote Grows, Protests Surge Around Globe".

Excerpt: "[F]rom South Asia to the heartland of Europe and now even to Wall Street, these protesters share something else: wariness, even contempt, toward traditional politicians and the democratic political process they preside over. They are taking to the streets, in part, because they have little faith in the ballot box. ... 'We're the first generation to say that voting is worthless.'"

Book: Stealth Democracy: Americans' Beliefs About How Government Should Work

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Book: Stealth Democracy: Americans' Beliefs About How Government Should Work

A book that has been mentioned in the context of recent proposals in the US to reduce the scope of parliamentary decision making in favour of expert commissions: John R. Hibbing and Elizabeth Theiss-Morse (both University of Nebraska, Lincoln), "Stealth Democracy: Americans' Beliefs About How Government Should Work" (Cambridge University Press, 2002).

Description (Amazon): "[T]his study finds that Americans don't like many of the practices associated with democracy: the conflicts, the debates, the compromises. It finds that Americans don't want to have to see democracy in practice, nor do they want to be involved in politics. If American citizens had their way, political decisions would be made by unselfish decision-makers, lessening the need for monitoring government."