Pondering The Way Ahead

I ponder how to combat authoritarian regimes. They are humanity's most lethal enemy, and there can be no compromise in confronting them.

"Freedom House: Freedom House works to defend human rights and promote democratic change, focusing on political rights and civil liberties. We act as a catalyst for freedom through a combination of analysis, advocacy, and action. Our research, focused on 13 central issues, is underpinned by our international program work."

Reference: https://freedomhouse.org/countries/nations-transit/scores

For instance, Russia has a total score of 7 and is a Consolidated Authoritarian Regime with a democracy percentage of 6.56 and a democracy score of 1.39.

Before the invasion by Russia, Ukraine's score was 39, a Transitional of Hybrid Regime with a democratic percentage of 39.29, and a democracy score of 3.36.

Russia 7 Consolidated Authoritarian Regime 6.55 1.39

Ukraine 39 Transitional or Hybrid Regime 39.29 3.36

There are worse states.

Turkmenistan 0 Consolidated Authoritarian Regime 0.00 1.00

Azerbaijan 1 Consolidated Authoritarian Regime 1.19 1.07

Tajikistan 2 Consolidated Authoritarian Regime 1.79 1.11

Uzbekistan 4 Consolidated Authoritarian Regime 4.17 1.25

Belarus 5 Consolidated Authoritarian Regime 4.76 1.29

Kazakhstan 5 Consolidated Authoritarian Regime 5.36 1.32

Also scored on a different scale is China.

China 9 Not Free Political Rights -2 Civil Liberties 11

Iran 14 Not Free Political Rights 4 Civil Liberties 10

North Korea 3 Not Free Political Rights 0 Civil Liberties 3

By comparison:

The United Kingdom 93 Free Political Rights 39 Civil Liberties 54

The United States 83 Free Political Rights 32 Civil Liberties 51

Netherlands 97 Free Political Rights 39 Civil Liberties 58

New Zealand 99 Free Political Rights 40 Civil Liberties 59

The United States is a faltering democratic republic where the Republican Party undermines the foundation. Americans must be ever vigilant to eradicate the strain of authoritarianism that has infiltrated the Republican Party and the nation. That said, how do we and the allied free nations combat nuclear-armed authoritarian regimes?

"The president of Ukraine feels abandoned. In a video statement posted early Friday morning, President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to call out President Joe Biden and other western allies for not doing enough to stop Russia's all-out assault on his nation. "This morning, we are defending our country alone," said the Ukrainian president. "Just like yesterday, the most powerful country in the world looked on from a distance."

https://www.thedailybeast.com/zelensky-slams-biden-for-watching-from-a-distance-while-putin-closes-in?via=newsletter&source=BI-CS-All

Zalensky underscores the predicament of "free nations" having ineffective means for confronting fierce and dangerous authoritarians.

Sanctions fail

Free and civil nations prefer peaceful diplomacy that entails sanctions. However, sanctions fail.

"International sanctions are one of the most commonly used tools to instigate democratization in the post-Cold War era. However, despite long-term sanction pressure by the European Union, the United States, and the United Nations, the non-democratic rule has proven extremely persistent. Which domestic and international factors account for the regimes' ability to resist external pressure? Based on a new global dataset on sanctions from 1990 to 2011, the results of a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) provide new insights for the research on sanctions and on authoritarian regimes. Most significantly, sanctions strengthen authoritarian rule if the regime manages to incorporate its existence into its legitimation strategy. Such an unintended 'rally-around-the-flag' effect occurs where sanctions are imposed on regimes that possess strong claims to legitimacy and have only limited economic and societal linkages to the sender of sanctions."

https://ejpr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1475-6765.12065

"UK politics live: sending Nato forces to Ukraine would risk leading to 'existential' threat, says the minister."

The Guardian

"Nuclear Weapons Solutions

The only way to completely eliminate nuclear risks is to eliminate nuclear weapons from the planet."

https://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-weapons/solutions

"Roughly 9,000 nuclear weapons are hidden away in bunkers and missile siloes, stored in warehouses, at airfields and naval bases, and carried by dozens of submarines across the world.

A single warhead can demolish a city center. A full-fledged nuclear war would threaten life as we know it.

But the risk of nuclear war isn't fixed; with the right policies and safeguards, we can help protect against mistakes, accidents, and poor decision-making—and we can work toward a world free from the nuclear threat."

https://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-weapons/solutions

I begin with three considerations:

Form of Governance

Economic Model

Principles of Humanity

Forms of Governance

Democracy

Communism

Socialism

Oligarchy

Aristocracy

Monarchy

Theocracy

Colonialism

Totalitarianism

Military Dictatorship

https://thebestschools.org/magazine/common-forms-of-government-study-starters/

Economic Models

Traditional economic system

Command economic system

Market economic system

Mixed system

I propose the Optimized Sustainment Model.

Principals of Humanity

In philosophy and rhetoric, the principle of humanity states that when interpreting another speaker, we must assume that their beliefs and desires are connected and to reality somehow, and attribute to them "the propositional attitudes one supposes one would have oneself in those circumstances."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_humanity

That is not what I had in mind. I advocate:

United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

1. We Are All Born Free & Equal. We are all born free. ...
2. Don't Discriminate. ...
3. The Right to Life. ...
4. No Slavery. ...
5. No Torture. ...
6. You Have Rights No Matter Where You Go. ...
7. We're All Equal Before the Law. ...
8. Law protects your Human Rights.
9. No Unfair Detainment.
10. The Right to Trial.
11. We're Always Innocent Till Proven Guilty.
12. The Right to Privacy.
13. Freedom to Move.
14. The Right to Seek a Safe Place to Live.
15. Right to a Nationality.

Authoritarians can appear anywhere, and the worst situation is when they align with any form of governance other than a democracy.

https://kottke.org/16/11/fighting-authoritarianism-20-lessons-from-the-20th-century

No Place for Authoritarians

In America and the free world, we advocate the value and importance of individuals. Freedom of thought and individual liberty are a premium worth defending.

Communities of civilized people living in a democracy know that laws and regulations are needed to optimize the safe environment in which people live together. Enacting rules and regulations is from collaboration and consensus among people with diverse ideas. However, the foundation includes:

1. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
2. The US Consitution and Bill of Rights
3. Three independent branches of government serve as checks and balances

From the beginning of creating the United States of America, authoritarianism has been the enemy of democracy.

There are different forms of a democratic nation; some are more socialistic than others. Democratic socialism is not communism, nor is its authoritarianism.

Communism is a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly-owned. Each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.

Capitalism is an economic and political system in which a country's the trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit rather than by the state.

Authoritarianism is the enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom. It is characterized by a lack of concern for the wishes or opinions of others.

The trouble with Putin and Russia today begins with authoritarian leadership. Communism is an alternative economic model, as is capitalism.

In my book, Regenerating America with Sustainable Economics, I advocate the development of a new Optimized Sustainment Economic Model as an alternative to existing models. I promote that the purpose of governments, no matter what form, is to create an optimal environment in which people can realize a good life with individual liberty and justice.

There is no place for authoritarians, where Russian, China, North Korea, and Iran are notable examples.