LET'S FIGHT BACK

LET'S FIGHT BACK
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Thursday, January 31, 2019

Between Anarchy and Tyranny


the AZEL

PERSPECTIVE

Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 163
 

Between Anarchy and Tyranny

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Democracy may be defined in many descriptive ways such as, government by the people, rule of the majority, a belief in freedom and equality, and more. But I find it conceptually helpful to reflect on democracy as a form of government between the violence of anarchy and the violence of tyranny.
Cognitive psychologist, Steven Pinker puts it this way: “One can think of democracy as a form of government that threads the needle, exerting just enough force to prevent people from preying on each other without preying on the people itself. A good democratic government allows people to pursue their lives in safety, protected from the violence of anarchy, and in freedom, protected from the violence of tyranny.”

It follows that, not having a ruler, and enjoying maximum individual freedoms would be preferable if we could avoid the violence of anarchy. But human history shows chaos to be deadlier than tyranny, and thus we have invented a form of government “that threads the needle” between the violence of anarchy and the violence of tyranny.

Today, by some metrics, over 50 percent of the world’s population lives in democratic nations.  In practice, however, some of those nations may be more autocratic than democratic. We also find some autocracies of the Singapore type, and some repressive democracies, such as Pakistan. The sobriquet of benevolent dictator has been used to describe authoritarian leaders who exercised absolute political power such as Josip Tito (Yugoslavia), Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (Turkey), Lee Kuan Yew (Singapore) and others.

A practical distinction can also be made between those democracies which do not go much beyond limiting the power of the government on its citizens, and those democracies more actively committed to carrying out the will of the majority of the citizenry.  For instance, the American political system is more populist than the political systems of other more aristocratic or elitist Western democracies.

Despite its shortcomings, democracy is, as exquisitely described by Winston Churchill in a speech to The House of Commons: “Many forms of government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”

Yet, tyranny still has its advocates, particularly among declinists who articulate zealous politico-economic opinions without bothering with the evidence. And by those, complacent in their hopefulness that not much work effort is required from them because a paternalistic tyrant with a master plan will improve their lives, as in China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, or Vietnam.

Economist Paul Romer makes an instructive distinction between complacent optimism and conditional optimism. He likens complacentoptimism to that of a child waiting for presents on Christmas morning. Other than obedient behavior, nothing much is required of the child.  Whereas conditional optimism is the sentiment of a child who “wants a treehouse and realizes that if he gets some wood and nails and persuades other kids to help him, he can build one.” Democracy requires conditional optimism and tyranny demands complacent optimism.

Perhaps the most misunderstood, and criticized, aspect of democratic governments is their electoral processes, as Pinker points out: “Political scientists are repeatedly astonished by the shallowness and incoherence of people’s political beliefs, and by the tenuous connection of their preferences to their votes…”  A considerable degree of apathy and ignorance seems to be part of many democratic processes.

The Austrian-British philosopher Karl Popper, generally regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of the 20th century, offered a brilliantly simplistic way to think of democratic governance.  Typically, we think of democracy, and its electoral process, as a form of government that answers the question:  Who should rule? Popper offered instead that we should think of democracy as a system of government that offers a solution to the problem of how to get rid of bad leaders without bloodshed.

Replacing bad leaders without violence is how democracy threads the needle between the violence of anarchy and the violence of tyranny.

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Abrazos,
 
Lily & José
 
(click on the name to email Lily or Jose)
José Azel, Ph.D.
José Azel left Cuba in 1961 as a 13 year-old political exile in what has been dubbed Operation Pedro Pan - the largest unaccompanied child refugee movement in the history of the Western Hemisphere.

He is currently dedicated to the in-depth analyses of Cuba's economic, social and political state, with a keen interest in post-Castro-Cuba strategies. Formerly, a Senior Scholar at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at the University of Miami, Jose Azel has published extensively on Cuba related topics.

In 2012 and 2015, Dr. Azel testified in the U.S. Congress on U.S.-Cuba Policy, and U.S. National Security.  He is a frequent speaker and commentator on these and related topics on local, national and international media.  He holds undergraduate and masters degrees in business administration and a Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University of Miami.

José along with his wife Lily are avid skiers and adventure travelers.  In recent years they have climbed Grand Teton in Wyoming, trekked Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Machu Pichu in Peru.  They have also hiked in Tibet and in the Himalayas to Mt. Everest Base Camp.

They cycled St. James Way (
El Camino de Santiago de Compostela) and cycled alongside the Danube from Germany to Hungary. They have scuba dived in the Bay Islands off the Honduran coast and in the Galapagos Islands.

Their adventurers are normally dedicated to raise funds for causes that are dear to them. 
Watch Joe & Lily summit Kilimanjaro.

Books by Dr. José Azel
"Liberty for beginners is much more than what the title promises. It is eighty themes touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone that wishes to understand why countries do, or do not progress, will find in this book the best explanations.
If it was in my power, this work would be required reading for all college and university students, and I would recommend its reading to politicians, journalists, and policymakers. With this book Azel accomplishes what was achieved in France by Frédéric Bastiat, and in the United States by Henry Hazlitt: brings together common sense with intelligent observation, and academic substance. Stupendous"
Carlos Alberto Montaner
"Libertad para novatos es mucho más de lo que promete el título. Son ochenta temas tocados con la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquier adulto que desee saber por qué progresan o se estancan los pueblos aquí encontrará las mejores explicaciones.
Si estuviera en mis manos, esta obra sería lectura obligatoria de todos los estudiantes, tanto de bachillerato como universitarios, pero, además, se la recomendaría a todos los políticos y periodistas, a todos los policy makers. Azel logra con este libro lo que Frédéric Bastiat consiguiera en Francia y Henry Hazlitt en Estados Unidos: aunar el sentido común, la observación inteligente y la enjundia académica. Estupendo."
Carlos Alberto Montaner
In Reflections on FreedomJosé Azel brings together a collection of his columns published in prestigious newspapers.  Each article reveals his heartfelt and personal awareness of the importance of freedom in our lives.  They are his reflections after nearly sixty years of living and learning as a Cuban outside Cuba. In what has become his stylistic trademark, Professor Azel brilliantly introduces complex topics in brief journalistic articles.
En Reflexiones sobre la libertad José Azel reúne una colección de sus columnas publicadas en prestigiosos periódicos. Cada artículo revela su percepción sincera y personal de la importancia de la libertad en nuestras vidas. Son sus reflexiones después de casi sesenta años viviendo y aprendiendo como cubano fuera de Cuba.  En lo que ha resultado ser característica distintiva de sus artículos, el Profesor Azel introduce con brillantez complejos temas en  breves artículos de carácter periodístico.
Mañana in Cuba is a comprehensive analysis of contemporary Cuba with an incisive perspective of the Cuban frame of mind and its relevancy for Cuba's future.
Pedazos y Vacíos is a collection of poems written in by Dr. Azel in his youth. Poems are in Spanish.
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