Iranian Facebook & YouTube: open for business 18, March 2009
Posted by thegulfblog.com in Iran.Tags: elections, Facebook, Iran, Iranian elections, Obama, Radio Free Europe, Tehran, You Tube
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Iranian authorities have released their blocks on Facebook and YouTube. This is quite a move forwards for the repressive regime in Tehran. Is this some kind of concession of sorts towards Obama’s recent more gentile rhetoric? Is this finally the vanguard of new media-savvy technology being embraced by the regime, after admitting defeat a la King Canute? It seems not. In an excellent article for Radio Free Europe, Golnaz Esfandiari suggests that it is in fact the Iranian authorities taking advantage of these media with one eye firmly on the upcoming June elections. In short, it is a way to contribute to roping in the youth vote. Time will tell…after a facebook status update has told us, that is.
Hat tip: Andrew Bishop. Much obliged.
Qatar priming citizens for elections 11, March 2009
Posted by thegulfblog.com in Qatar.Tags: elections, Qatar, Qatar elections
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The Gulf Times reports on Qatar’s limbering up for mooted legislative elections. Special training programmes are being set up to educate “master trainers” as well as ordinary people in the mechanics of elections. This is designed to avoid mistakes that have been made by their Gulf allies in similar ventures.
Such a move is a (small) step forward. Whilst it is no guarantee of a free and fair election with political parties etc. in the near future, it seems to me that training like this (getting people to know their rights, setting up the expectation of an election and so on) is setting Qatar inexorably down the path towards such elections. To unendingly delay, deny or go back on their stated goals becomes ever more difficult when people are primed for full political emancipation.
China happy with “smooth” Russian election 4, March 2008
Posted by thegulfblog.com in China, Russia.Tags: China, elections, fraud, imoral, Medvedev, Russia
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China left themselves firmly in the minority when they unequivocally welcomed the election of Dmitry Medvedev as Russia’s new President. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said that China was pleased to see that the election went smoothly. To be honest, one wonders which election he was referring to. Smoothly is about the last adverb that ought to be used to describe Medvedev’s victory.
However, China’s reaction is not in the least surprising given their utterly rigid policy of non-interference and criticism of other country’s domestic affairs. Indeed, it is just this kind inflexibility and apparent choice to be immoral, as opposed to amoral, that lands them on the wrong side of international opinion so often.
China’s Russian future? 3, March 2008
Posted by thegulfblog.com in China, Russia.Tags: China, elections, fraud, Medvedev, Putin, Russia, Time Magazine
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Simon Elegant over at Time’s China Blog wrote an interesting article suggesting that China might look towards Russia’s blueprint for its political future. Elegant suggests that the CCCP in Beijing would look favourably upon Russia’s current ability to ‘democratically’ guarantee power to the main party. Russia has, after all, all but turned into a one party state with but a fig leaf of democratic cover. This notion of democratically guaranteeing one party rule would surely be the panacea for China’s elite. All the benefits that they currently enjoy of their restrictive system and a modicum of democratic cover: perfect.
Indeed, it has never really mattered if the world believes than an election is fair, far from it. It is manifestly obvious that Medvedev’s election is questionable at best and a travesty of democracy at worst and it certainly didn’t matter to the various despots and dictators who got themselves returned to office with a miraculous 99.9% of the vote in the past. All that matters is that there is the figment, the notion, the light wafting of democracy in their general direction. The rest of the world carps for a while and then must put such notions aside as they need to have a working relationship with the country in question.
Elegant suggests that there are two ways to achieve such a “managed democracy” result. Firstly, you simply need to emasculate, knee-cap, and generally destroy any opposition parties. Cue absurd arrests on pathetic pre-texts, complete marginalisation of said candidates or parties by your state controlled media, and, if all that fails – just kill them. Secondly, you need to co-opt the people. In Russia’s case, Putin feeds on the notion that Russians crave stability and prestige after the destruction wrought by the 1990’s. Putin fulfils these criteria superbly, particularly addressing the Russian need to feel like a superpower. In China’s case, Elegant suggests that the Chinese people could be co-opted by the desire to keep the economic boom booming. The CCCP could play on the notion that the ‘opposition’ (suitably emasculated, obviously) are a threat to the Chinese economic miracle and can not be trusted.
Thus, just across the border, China have a ready made system on which they can base their next stage of political evolution if they so choose. The allure of democratic righteousness is surely a powerful one for Beijing, especially with Taiwan expertly (and infuriatingly) showing just how well Chinese characteristics, democracy and economic growth can go together.
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