11-09-2002 01:20									#61
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

I'm not against democracy, but I lived in a communist country and I know the difference before and after a dictatorship- force it and the whole place will turn like Russia or east european countries nowadays

	11-09-2002 01:44									#62
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

quote: Originally posted by Datajack Franit I'm not against democracy, but I lived in a communist country and I know the difference before and after a dictatorship- force it and the whole place will turn like Russia or east european countries nowadays

With what I'm reading here, I beleive the transition will be stable as it is going slowly and without too much government resistance. China doesn't seem to be forcing a democratic system on its people, but gradually shifting into a more representative from of government.

	11-09-2002 02:04									#63
	Tired of ads?

Whoa... a lot of stuff to reply to...

quote: That's really funny seeing how he's not actually buried, rather, enclosed in plexiglass and put on public display in that tomb of his in Tiananmen.

LOL! Well he's gotta be in great pain now then, since he's got a pretty good view of all the evil Japanese and American cars driving by around his mausoleum.

quote: Sure, there are no tanks in the streets now. But that doesn't mean it's stable. Likewise, if you have millions protesting in Washington, it doesn't mean the system in instable.

If a democracy is corrupt and inefficient enough to result in massive civil unrest and rioting, then it's an unstable system. Indonesia switched to democracy and immediately, raping and looting began on the streets. That's not stability.

quote: Excellent point. One can be oppressed under either. I suppose the difference is that under a dicatorship, the oppression can be actively directed by the gov't, whereas in the case of a corrupt democracy, it is a failure of the system. Good poll thread topic: which would you rather live under - a corrupt, inefficient democracy, or a benign, efficient dictatorship?

A benign, efficient dictatorship.
I'd rather live in Singapore than Zimbabwe.

quote: From what I have seen, the outer provinces are even worse. In Xi'an, I remember taxis driving down crosswalks, and even on the sidewalk!

You haven't seen Chengde yet, since there isn't really a difference between the street and sidewalk there.

quote: I think one of the greatest threats of instability under the current Chinese system comes from the lack of any defined process for the handover of power. It all comes down to secret, behind-the-scenes power struggles within the Party. That kind of transition can be peaceful ... or it can lead to a Cultural Revolution.

Frankly, I can't visualize a Cultural Revolution now - especially not in Shanghai with its gleaming skyscrapers. But heck... I guess anything can happen.

btw, does anyone know about the license plate fiasco in Beijing?