Democracy and the "rule of law."

While it is indeed possible that the state - building as the U.S. has been doing in various parts of the world to date is based on democracy and the rule of law, it might be reasonable to mention at this point the "rule of law" language could be overdone just a bit by policy makers.  Here's why:  In the utilitarian world, that is, the world espoused with utopian goals along the lines of what we know essentially to be modern or neo - liberalism even along hegelian lines, the rule of law is reduced to and atomized into the norms we all learn as individuals in school and in our experience in society on the one hand.  On the other hand, the rule of law as a principle that is elevated to overriding deity status for those who believe there is the law and only the law as enforcing the edicts of the international state and its rules and norms as pushed out to media, other states and their statesmen, and other, interested parties.  This again, is a strictly liberal view and one of systemic totemism, and the author here contrasts the global utilitarianism behind this principle with the overall conservative belief in the functions of the state in our own village as rule - maker and rule - enforcer among other things - bicameral legislature, a judiciary based upon principles such as the Bill of Rights and human rights, and a chief executive that is elected (for starters.)

 

I might be citing some high - school history book without really knowing it here, but the normativeness and the relativeness that are sometimes bred into the state as adopting above all the principle of the rule of law do engender meta - juridical functions in society and in the state in which judicial officials can abuse the overall legal considerations - those of business, culture, the arts, economics and finance, science and so on, even sports and entertainment - between society and the state as built - up that discourage proper legal procedure and action in what we see as appropriate within our scope of people living in a free society.  The unbounded legalism of the former soviet union is one such example of improper administration as brought about by the institution of utilitarian socialist superstructures, especially the judicial.  There are other, less obvious examples and though the principle of upholding the morals and norms of society has great merit, the concentration of any state administration on legal(istic) principles and practices throws it out of balance; sort of like when Beria was at the head of the party in one way or another in soviet times. 

 

Many of the difficulties in the open conflict in Afghanistan at this time call for diffusing the apparent and glaring administrative / political issues that prevent the government there from gaining more legitimacy among its people.  There are issues as well like making sure the police are properly trained to handle terrorist situations, and diffusing again the influence of the Taliban in many places.  There is also the international relationship with Pakistan and Afghanistan that has U.S. politicians worried about the stability of both countries.  Efforts so far have been to try to win hearts and minds with U.S. personnel taking the lead, though terrorism continues to be a fearful danger to everyone there and in neighboring states right now.  The Taliban as well continues to engage in violence while summarily avoiding truces and alliances with the Afghani government or provincial governments under Kabul, much less do the Taliban take part in peaceful fine - tuning as it should be at this point.  All of this might be avoided in some way or another through the recognition of some traits in Afghan society by its leaders and some cession on the topic of territoriality and provincial groups (not the Taliban here) to Kabul might be in order. 

 

The nightly news features Western - style photo opportunities for Afghani leaders, something that might be irksome to their sometimes ultra - liberal citizenry in some places, and the influences of the Western powers in the present administration there are palpable and might be annoying as popularized as well - this attempt to bring some decent organisation to the chaos in the country that has reigned for so long, even from before the soviet invasion in the 1970's, is highly commendable, though to some Afghanis the values and culture(s) of the country's society might obviously conflict with the type of legalism introduced into their system by the presumably foreign allies under our latest polity.  Another difficulty is the U.S. policy - makers up to this point have only too well understood the issues of the Middle East and Central Asia as they have been there for a long time, and through the lens of the policy - making of our own governments, the Afghanis are only too quick to point out the fissures and faults.  This has resulted apparently in an over - reliance on security forces and legal proceedings that are not equipped nor prepared on a domestic front to support the level of criminal activities that take place there, including the terrorism.  Another sub - plot in the story of the "Frog and the Scorpion," and / or the social and societal pains of state - building in foreign places where some of the citizens might not actually be interested in the "Federalist Papers" or Western norms and rules, and not out of simple ethno - centrism or cultural refutation.  

In Silent Memoriam.

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Good English.

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Christopher Patten's Talk about ...  (Guardian, U.K., 2004)

Brief Bio - Patten

Read His Book (2012)

... another command performance (trumpeter and story teller as well.)

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Lincoln Center Jazz.

'Objectivism' and the Republicans.

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One would do well during this election not to try to figure out 'Objectivism,' but to read an essay or two on it before casting one's vote in Novemeber (election day is less than 90 days away, mind you.)  That supporters have more or less characterised Mr. Ryan, the Republican Party candidate for American vice - president, as a kind of objectivist, and the Democrats might in turn portray him as insincere, even a clown, will make for a good race indeed.

While I have never really read about objectivism, nor anything dogmatic on the subject, it does appear the Republican approach has some appeal before the Democratic Party's approach of providing wishful comments about the international business climate, the polity and gridlock in Washington, D.C. due to overall budget and other glaring problems and issues, even pep - talking voters over the commmercial airwaves while mentioning "built to last," and other such fanciful characterisations, it does seem that despite a deficit in the polls, the Republicans might give the liberal American party (Democrats) a run for their moneys and maybe for other things by election day.  Any disparity from the sameness of the candidates and their persuasiveness to many people based upon likes and dislikes, even personal, non - political ones, will have to do with the politics of "life as a process" as emphasised by Democrats here that have us missing the boat and a dollar short in many cases right now, and the "let's get off our duffs" ideas of the Republicans.



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Whereas the Democrats, through the Obama / Biden ticket have a kind of will - to - power that is palpable in their silky, urbane public language, the Republicans are rolling up their sleeves in places like Wisconsin and Virginia.  People do know the Democrats are the party that relies on Huxley - type ideas, including that of appealing to town and even town outside U.S. borders in all its, again urbane citizenry, bustling populace and grit that is so appealing through the commercial media.  The Republicans right now appear to be relying less on the cultural and financial heat of the megalopolis and instead, while not abandoning urbanity for the sake of the provinces, appeal to Americans who want to get things done on their way to restoring their fortunes, maybe quietly at the exclusion of the kind of bombast that is featured in political discussion of late to draw attention to meeting even very small political and administrative / economic goals.

That Mitt Romney has enlisted the efforts of Paul Ryan from Wisconsin on his hopeful electoral journey and given at this time the attitude of the Republicans in acknowledging deficitary, defense, trade, currency valuation, and other political / economic issues including just abortion and taxes, and other public policy difficulties subject to the American agenda, and the response by the media and the public so far does show America needs a chief executive who might just speak in a more grounded way about issues and his own political agenda than in the compliments, platitudes and blandishments that have characterised the present administration.  

"The United States and China" at the Olympics.

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There are many additional facets to look at in the U.S. / P.R.C. political relationship at this point and this calls for a possible re - examination of the stereotypical Olympic athlete, in all evidence talented but clueless, who might test his / her physical and mental toughness at places like Long Beach, CA, before reporting for international competition every four years.  The thing that is odd is this duel will continue in another two years, primarily as a pre - cursor to the next Olympics events, at the World Championships wherever they will be held - competitivity and bragging rights again about things like sports medicine, training methods, practice techniques and the like. 

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That the P.R.C. has overridingly made the choice to emphasize anew itself in the international political arena via the Olympic medal vanguard is odd and embarrassing for a nation - state that can not tie its shoelaces with simple things like an actual and real social safety net, human rights, nepotism, and other obvious defects including the single - party political system it operates under that stems from a severe reaction to the aloofness and carelessness of royal and imperial rule that came to an end in the early 20th century.  The current Chinese regime ends up looking politically more like that imperial regime of old in the way it establishes society's priorities, structures its accession and polity in the areas of administration and governance in the overall and again, overrriding will to power that any sociologist or anthropologist will caution against in its many forms as established and institutionalized by the CPC through its by - line of "spirit, land, energy."  The happenstance of the stilted and conjured, and otherwise celebrated, Olympic achievements and accolades, and this without examining every statistic, of the P.R.C. at this point capture a place in history certainly, though the importance of this is to make one wary of the application of the ways one makes championship athletics happen:  The implications of the showing of Olympic commercial spots on NBC at these 2012 events as featuring a past soviet - bloc gymnast, and the actual story of Ms. Nadia Comenici are compelling and an object lesson in what can drive national policy on the subject of athletics and international achievements and awards to the extent they are completely devalued by the constant banging away at young people about how there is a requirement to have medal status or other high international recognition.  Such a politicization of athletic achievement detracts from the simple and non - professional, and honestly - competition - driven status in international athletic venues at this point.

When we were kids, and as we read the local newspaper and talked with our buddies about what goes on in Russia, and what went on in places like East Germany, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and so on, and even given the paucity of the news about the soviet bloc at the time, young people in the States knew how the ambitions of the communists and non - aligned countries had politicized much of the international scale and scope we learned about without respect to occasional, actual news that came through about it.  The realized vaulting ambitions of the P.R.C. policy - makers about their place in international athletics is a softer version, and therefore more palatable for some right now, of the social engineering of the soviets that has gone to the dust bin.  It is incredulous how this is allowed to supplant the honest efforts of athletes in other countries such as U.K., Germany, England, France, and even the Russian Federation right now, and the assertions of P.R.C. on the athletic stage in many ways at this point are dependent upon un - civil ideas and practices that are undue and inappropriate given the peaceful, forthright and unified attitude of many of the athletic teams at the 2012 games this year.  Media images.  Please pardon typographical errors here. 

THS