Democracy, as much an expectation as the ultimate horizon

As a political scientist, I sometimes have to refer to the Aristotelian conception of democracy as a deviant regime, a regime above which the dangers of demagogy and populism are constantly looming, and yet, as Aristotle made it clear in the Nicomachean Ethics, democracy is the “least worst” of all deviant regimes, all the more so because the ideal form of government, polity in the Greek philosopher lexicon, is midway between democracy and oligarchy, and unfortunately does not come into existence very often — at least it did not in Aristotle’s time. I would argue that representative democracy of today fits the description of that ideal and ancient polity. Ultimately, although potential deviances serve as a reminder that the best necessarily has the potential to engender the worst and thus prompt citizens as well as political parties to consider vigilance as a duty if not a virtue, the practice of modern representative democracy by humankind over the past two hundred plus years in all corners of the planet does seem to confirm Churchill’s now famous verdict that “democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.”

Jasmine demos in China and their meaning

Reading the International Herald Tribune this morning, I have the feeling that the press is so ashamed to have been taken by surprise by street-led revolutions in Northern Africa and the Middle-East that they are now being pre-emptive and a tad early for China... One does not compensate for the other, and self-fulfilling prophecies always trigger a feeling of defiance in me. I could add that diplomats, at least the ones who are quoted, seem to be in the same state of bewilderment!

Shoe-throwing in China: What Are the Odds?

Atirar sapatos na China: quais são as possibilidades?
Já conhecíamos o “Índice Big Mac”, que parte da teoria da paridade do poder de compra, mas a Economist desenvolveu agora uma nova forma de medição da reforma política à qual dá o nome de “Índice do Atirador de Sapatos”, supostamente capaz de “prever onde se vai espalhar o cheiro do jasmim” [numa alusão ao nome que recebeu a recente revolução tunisina], nas palavras da revista semanal britânica. É dada particular atenção ao Norte de África e aos países do Médio Oriente, onde a ondulação da vox populi que derruba antigas autocracias paternalistas parece alastrar a cada dia.
http://pontofinalmacau.wordpress.com/editoriais-e-opiniao/

Shoe-throwing in China: What Are the Odds?
(Published in Portuguese in Ponto Final, Macao, February 18th 2011)
By Eric Sautede

We knew about its Big Mac Index probing into the theory of purchasing-power parity, but The Economist has now come up with a new form of political change measurement dubbed “The Shoe Thrower’s Index” which is supposed to “predict where the scent of jasmine may spread next”, in the words of the British weekly. A particular attention is given to Northern African and Middle Eastern countries where the rippling effects of the vox populi overthrowing age-old paternalistic autocracies seem to be widening by the day.
The interest of the index lies in its attempt to take into account societal and political factors, and thus ascribes a relative weight to the share of the population that is under 25, the number of years the government has been in power, the corruption and lack of democracy, the censorship, and the GDP per capita. Unfortunately, as for any index, both the criteria and the weighting are debatable: with the usual free-marketer bias, demographic numbers—basically being young!—account for far too much (40% of the index) and make up for the whole social challenges, politics is minimally made of longevity of regimes, freedom (lack of…) and corruption, and the economy, strangely enough for such a publication, strictly equates to the wealth of individuals, and weights a mere 5%…

A Government of the Middle, by the Middle and for the Middle

Um Governo do Meio, pelo Meio e para o Meio
Só as grandes expectativas conduzem a grandes desilusões. Como em Março passado nos foi dada uma pista do que seria o novo Governo da RAEM, tenho de admitir que as minhas expectativas eram, desta feita, bastante baixas – mas o factor surpresa poderia ter sido induzido, para melhor (o inesperado) e para pior (bater no fundo!).
http://pontofinalmacau.wordpress.com/editoriais-e-opiniao/
A Government of the Middle, by the Middle and for the Middle
(Published in Portuguese in Ponto Final, Macao, November 19th 2010)
By Eric Sautede

Only high expectations are conducive to great disappointments, and as we had already had a hint at what was to come from the new Macao SAR government last March, I must admit that my expectations were rather low this time around—surprises could thus be enticed, for better (the unexpected) and for worse (a race to the bottom)! Let’s be clear right from the start: the policy address delivered by Fernando Chui Sai-on on November 16th is just uninspiring as well as short-sighted, and seems to denote a misunderstanding (at best!) of the role the political leader of a community has to play, and ultimately confirms a propaganda-like logorrhea twist that is rather worrying for the “high-degree of autonomy” that the SAR is supposed to enjoy until 2049.

The Paths To Greendom

Os caminhos para a cidade verde
Sempre gostei de andar de bicicleta: sobretudo por ser divertido, porque resulta de uma combinação entre design simples e alta tecnologia, apelando ao meu sentido de estética, e ainda porque tem muito que ver com a liberdade – liberdade de me fazer à estrada com a promessa de aventura. Com a idade chegou a percepção de outras vantagens relacionadas com novas preocupações: andar de bicicleta é uma boa forma de me manter saudável, bom tanto para o coração como para a forma física, sem ter de gastar parte significativa do meu salário em mensalidades de um healthclub (sendo certo que correr é ainda mais barato…), permite-me deslocar-me com bastante rapidez, e não faz barulho nem emite CO2.
http://pontofinalmacau.wordpress.com/editoriais-e-opiniao/

The Paths To Greendom
(Published in Portuguese in Ponto Final, Macao, October 8th 2010)
By Eric Sautede

I have always enjoyed riding a bicycle: mainly because it is fun, because a bike is a mix of simple design and high-tech gears and thus appeals to my sense of aesthetic, and also because it has a lot to do with freedom—freedom to hit the road with a promise of adventure. With age came other perceived advantages addressing new concerns: riding is a good way to keep healthy, on both heart and fat sides, without having to shelve a significant part of my salary in health-club subs (I agree, running is even cheaper…), and it allows me to commute pretty fast and yet it is quiet and does not produce CO2 emissions.