The eccentric economist Umair Haq is the blogger I have the most respect for. Why? Because he is always looking at the big picture, and he is always right. Sure, it is a deeply pessimistic picture he paints, but he has consistently analyzed trends before prominent commentators have even thought about them. If you want to know more about him, look at his most recent essay
Umair Haq and now everybody else have written about the crisis of democracy, and sure enough it is real enough and alarming. But there is a positive side to this. Reading high quality news sources (the CBC, the Guardian) and even mediocre ones (MSNBC) I am struck by the fact that people in many countries know that on a very basic level know that elections, honest elections, are essential for sane public life, and are willing to organize and fill the streets to get them. And even Putin and Lukashenko have to present themselves as elected leaders. The news is filled with wars and even genocide, but also coverage of elections and how honest or dishonest they are. The CBC routinely does this.
One reason that American democracy is in so much trouble is that no one is willing to say how ridiculous the American "system" is. Indeed, Americans hardly seem to reccognize there is a problem.
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