回复：TO Eric

That is ok, everyone is busy near Christmas time. Don't let serious talks ruin your mode for holidays :)

Let me ask you:
1: Ruling by emperors or ruling by one party, which is more dictatorial? Or which one has more democratic?


*** To me, they are all dictatorships in different forms. One-party ruling does not make it nicer than an emperor-ruling and China has proven that. We have handpicked leaders, not elected one which means if you can climb up to the top of the party, you are emperor. The only issue is that how to keep that absolute power. Well, you probably have to persecute and kill some potential rivals, and make the country think you are the only one who can lead country to a glorious future. Of course, you have to control the press to make them believe in this. Don't you think they have no basic difference?


2: Do you think Russia is still a democratic country? In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Putin was depicted as a dictator and his regime has been regarded same as that of Mussolini in Italy. Do you agree or not?

*** As far as I know, Putin is fairly popular in Russia. When a person becomes very influential, he tends to be a dictator. The problem is how to get this tendency under control. You can’t expect anything under a dictatorship. Let's Russians decide how they want their leaders to be. At least, they have a choice.

Therefore, we need to define Democratic country in the first place. If the major characteristics of a democratic country are: multi-party, and election. Then would you categorize Nazi Germany in 1933 with Parliament, election, and parties, even if they were gone shortly, as a democratic country? Why the democracy was so weak in Germany at that time?

*** Come on, do not quote Nazi Germany again. I have written this again and again. Hitler climbed to the ultimate power not by election, but by assassin, di*****anding the congress, sending private army controlling the press and a lot of other scandals. I think you know that. Nazi Germany was NOT a democratic country. No books, even in China would tell you that. Hitler is a always perfect example for dictatorship.


3: Before the collapse of Soviet Union, there was a referendum in March 1991 on whether to keep the union or not by all the people in that country. Why the people’s will was not respected? Why the democratic movement led to the biggest disrespect to people's will?

"Do you consider necessary the preservation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as a renewed federation of equal sovereign republics in which the rights and freedom of an individual of any nationality will be fully guaranteed?" The March referendum thus represented a calculated risk on the part of Gorbachev that a majority of Soviet citizens would support a reconstituted union of republics based on democratic freedoms.
Over 80 percent of the Soviet adult population (148.5 million people) took part in the referendum, and of them 76.4 percent voted "yes."

*** Here is a link on what exactly happened in Russia in 1991. A couple of republics boycotted the referendum and declared independence. Mainland China can organize a referendum with a support up to 99.99% for an unification, however, Taiwan just does not look at it that way, and they have also strong support for independence. Ok, what is people's will. How about my will on you?

http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Collapse_of_the_Soviet_Union


Finally, you said you agreed that China needs democracy and you were not defending dictatorship, then given the above arguments, what is your point? There may be some definitions about democracy, but the core features should be the same. Of course, you could call one-party ruling as democracy, that would make the whole world laugh.