An NPR reporter in Cuba suggests that change — at least of a kind — is underway.
Writes NPR, “There are signs in Cuba that Fidel Castro’s power is truly waning, despite that many Cubans have a hard time believing that his rule is really over.”
The reporter’s findings suggest a “Fidelismo without Fidel” scenario, but with hints of “The China Option.”
| Post in Cuba, Latin America | 0 Comments
The Atlantic recently asked its panel of 40 foreign policy experts about prospects for democracy, publishing the results in March.
One question–do you believe the proliferation of democratic government is inevitable in the long run?–yielded these results:
Skeptics’ comments included these:
Someone in the “yes” camp offered this remark:
Image: Racoles (Flickr)
| Post in Governance, Human rights, Values | 0 Comments
The Washington Post reports on how little will there is to deal with the causes of Japan’s projected demographic collapse.
The article notes that the country may lose 70% of its workforce by 2050, at the same time it is faced with supporting a massive population of seniors.
The oncoming problems could be alleviated with immigration and a higher birth rate, but these are impeded by social malfunction:
Japan does not seem to face a disastrous implosion, like some socially malfunctioning societies of the past — see the Greenland Norse in Diamond’s Collapse — but it may choose diminishing strength, relevance, and perhaps prosperity over change.
See Futureatlas for more on this issue.
Image: usable with link and credit to Futureatlas.com
| Post in Asia, Demography, Japan | 0 Comments
NPR today offered a rare focus on Abkhazia, the region that broke away from Georgia in the 1990s.
It is a curious mirror image of Kosovo: Russia, adamantly opposed to independence for Kosovo, supports Abkhazia’s freedom (at least from Georgia), while the US favors subjecting the Abkhaz to Georgian rule, though they appear to have much the same case as the Kosovars for independence.
The parallel is not lost on the Abkhaz, who have poor relations with the Georgians:
Abkhazia’s leaders say the West has so far refused to listen to their arguments, but they cite the precedent set by Kosovo. One day, they say, the international community will have to realize the only way to avert war over Abkhazia is to recognize its independence.
| Post in Caucasus, Self-determination | 0 Comments