Subversive Currents ~ China Fears Seven Perils...

Chris Buckley in the NYTimes reveals that China's unelected and dictatorial Communist Party leadership fear that...

"...power could escape their grip [...] unless the party eradicates seven subversive currents coursing through Chinese society."

These seven perils include...

• “Western constitutional democracy,” 
• Promoting “universal values” of human rights,
• Western-inspired notions of media independence and civic participation,
• Ardently pro-market “neo-liberalism,” 
•  “Nihilist” criticisms of the party’s traumatic past. 

Surely, however, any truly strong and legitimate authority fears no criticism, embraces shared values, and benefits from active citizen participation? Or do the so-called "leaders" of China fear the light of freedom and the true voice of the people?

The Gatekeepers ~ Zionist Übermenschen Speak

Those responsible for securing the Zionist lebensraum dream speak... Plus, fascinating interview with filmmaker Dror Moreh... And DN has interview/review...

Benevolent Dictators? ~ Kagame, Atatürk, and...

Interesting to read in Cashewman today Manpreet Singh's guest piece Rwanda’s Paul Kagame: The Benevolent Dictator?

"Plato said that the best form of government would be a benevolent dictatorship, and this is, in effect, what Rwanda has. Kagame is officially elected, but he has 95% approval -- indicative of a stifled political process. When I’ve spoken to Rwandan friends about this, no-one has a bad thing to say about Kagame. But it’s hard to have a debate when the opposing voice isn’t allowed to speak."

And this is in the context of strong performance...

"It’s fifteen years after the genocide in Rwanda, and seven years since Paul Kagame assumed office as President. In that time, Rwanda has thrived. Kagame has actively pursued pro-business policies, making Rwanda attractive to international companies, and to large funding organizations. As a result, Rwanda has shown year-on-year GDP growth of over 7%, for the past three years."

Other past transformational strongmen include Atatürk in the post-Ottoman period and the Meiji Restorers in post-Shogunate Japan. And yet we also have tragic failure modes, like what happened with the Shah as he drove for modernization in Iran or more visibly the malevolent dictators of North Korea, Cuba, Zimbabwe, etc. Each seemed to start on a good path and then flipped a bit. What checks & balances are in play in today's Rwanda?