Ex Dame Pansi wrote on Apr 28
th, 2012 at 6:37am:
Schoolgirls in Darwin, be warned, don't go out alone.
Yep, watch out for tanks driving on the right side of the road. Don't get crushed!
Andrei.Hicks wrote on Apr 28
th, 2012 at 9:42am:
America is an idea, its the shining city on the hill - the place people aspire to and to be a part. It represents freedom, hope and democracy.
The U.S. hasn't always supported democracy. There are countries that the U.S. government supports whose governments aren't democratic.
Andrei.Hicks wrote on Apr 28
th, 2012 at 9:42am:
People will never look to the People's Republic of China for such leadership.
It's not like every country in the world is lining up for "Western democracy." Many Middle-Eastern (like Iran, Syria, Egypt, Jordan) and socialist countries (like Cuba) have elections and "democracy" but they are not like our's.
South-East Asian countries have democracies, but they also have capital punishment. An ethnically Asian Australian was executed in Singapore for taking drugs into an airport. Even the USA still has capital punishment in some States. Some of these SE Asian countries still have monarchs and if you criticise the king, expect to be executed or thrown into jail (I think it's Thailand).
Many of these countries demand "tough leaders," leaders who don't hesitate to intimidate, bully and blackmail others to get what they want, and it isn't inconceivable for China to start influencing these countries more than the USA. The Chinese government has a "strong face" that it presents to its people and to the world and this "strong face" seems to be behind its success. China's GDP has been growing steadily for several decades now. It's a result of "strong leadership." When a particular ideology is repeated often enough and its results are consistently and positively proven, that's enough for people to be converted and to continue to support it.
If the USA was to suffer a major military defeat in Asia and its military power was significantly weakened, China would start having more influence in the region. Its political philosophy would start influencing governments in Asia. People would forget about American freedom and start thinking about Chinese toughness. Democracy would cease to be seen as a path to justice and people will instead call for strong leadership with an iron grip.
Western democracy is over-rated. It isn't as if American democracy doesn't have its problems, like religious fundamentalism dominating or interfering with its politics. When politicians start talking about Jesus, how the country is "Christian" or opposing gay-marriage, you've got a problem. I don't know why Christianity keeps getting mixed up with the affairs of state. Blame the Roman Emperor Constantine.
You underestimate the power of the dark side.