Countries at the Crossroads
April 19th 2010 06:00
Video
U.S.-based think tank Freedom House is releasing its annual publication: Countries at a Crossroads. It shows how developing nations are either moving towards a freer, democratic society—or towards authoritarian rule.
Asia Researcher Sarah Cook says foreign investment can have a major impact on which way these nations go—and it isn't always in the direction of freedom.
[Sarah Cook, Asia Researcher, Freedom House]:
““What you have in a lot of these countries is a struggle, you have a struggle over whether the country is going to move in the direction that’s more democratic, more open, more transparent, more accountable…or if its going to move in a direction that’s less transparent…And what happens is you have a variety of different incentives that can push things in one direction or another.”
Financial aid from foreign sources can be used to provide training and education for police and judges. And the threat of economic sanctions can be a deterrent against human rights abuses.
But Ms. Cook says financial aid from one source, the Chinese Communist Party, may be undermining these efforts—thwarting many of China’s Southeast Asian neighbors’ progress towards political freedom.
[Sarah Cook, Asia Researcher, Freedom House]:
“What we’re seeing in several countries is a dynamic where…the Chinese Communist Party either comes in with different conditions or large amounts of money and warps the incentive system and creates a situation where the incentives are pulling countries in a more negative direction.”
[...]
Chris Chappell, NTD News, New York.
U.S.-based think tank Freedom House is releasing its annual publication: Countries at a Crossroads. It shows how developing nations are either moving towards a freer, democratic society—or towards authoritarian rule.
Asia Researcher Sarah Cook says foreign investment can have a major impact on which way these nations go—and it isn't always in the direction of freedom.
[Sarah Cook, Asia Researcher, Freedom House]:
““What you have in a lot of these countries is a struggle, you have a struggle over whether the country is going to move in the direction that’s more democratic, more open, more transparent, more accountable…or if its going to move in a direction that’s less transparent…And what happens is you have a variety of different incentives that can push things in one direction or another.”
Financial aid from foreign sources can be used to provide training and education for police and judges. And the threat of economic sanctions can be a deterrent against human rights abuses.
But Ms. Cook says financial aid from one source, the Chinese Communist Party, may be undermining these efforts—thwarting many of China’s Southeast Asian neighbors’ progress towards political freedom.
[Sarah Cook, Asia Researcher, Freedom House]:
“What we’re seeing in several countries is a dynamic where…the Chinese Communist Party either comes in with different conditions or large amounts of money and warps the incentive system and creates a situation where the incentives are pulling countries in a more negative direction.”
[...]
Chris Chappell, NTD News, New York.
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