Is Mugabe Really That Lonely?

Pop culture artifacts are a great way to gauge the zeitgeist of an era. With that said, I introduce you to this commercial from Nando’s (an awesome peri peri chain with locations in the DC area):

Yes, that’s Robert Mugabe having a supersoaker fight with Qadaffi, singing karaoke with Mao, making sand angels with Saddam, swinging with P.W. Botha, and ghost riding the whip with Idi Amin.

Do we really have “less” dictators “than we used to”? Or is the nature of oppression just shifting from the traditional strongman dictator to something less opaque (and less colorful)?

Via Joshua Keating of Foreign Policy’s Passport.

Call for Papers: D&S Vol. 8, Iss. 2

We are seeking well-written, interesting submissions of 1500-2000 words on the themes below, including summaries and/or excerpts of recently completed research, new publications, and works in progress. Submissions for the issue are due Friday, March 4, 2011. Continue reading »

Bad governance is a choice

Sure, governments in the Middle East could tax their citizens more thereby catalyzing a more efficient bureaucracy, economic development, and political accountability. The first doesn’t sound so bad, the second sounds pretty good, but the third…well, lots of leaders would rather not be accountable, so they stick with inefficient bureaucracies and low levels of economic development. It’s a bad tradeoff for most people, but not those at the top. Bad governance is typically a choice, not an accident.

The Internet, Accountability, but not Democracy

Earlier in the week China Beat featured a script from a talk given by Ying Zhu, professor of Media Culture at CUNY Staten Island, at Google’s New York offices. The piece teases at themes to be covered in depth in her upcoming book on China Central Television co-authored with Bruce Robinson. Focusing on recent news stories, Zhu argues that the size of the internet community, an increased access to information and a better-educated citizenry have created what she terms a “critical mass”. This term has three parts: (1) the mass has grown to the point where the Chinese government’s ability to put down a popular rebellion is limited, (2) the mass is able to articulate preferences and force a government response, and (3) the mass forms passive online associations ready to be organized into “active participation” should they be provided a catalyst. Continue reading »

Why The Economist supports democracy

This week’s Economist has an outstanding article on Freedom House’s 2010 edition of Freedom in the World.

Freedom House…in its latest annual assessment that liberty and human rights had retreated globally for the fourth consecutive year. It said this marked the longest period of decline in freedom since the organisation began its reports nearly 40 years ago.

The author (I have no idea who because The Economist does not carry bylines), goes on to discuss the various causes of the latest democratic recession: Continue reading »