Democracia: dois pesos duas medidas?

Num artigo cheio de ironias Simon Jenkins prova com factos irrefutaveis a existencia de dois pesos e duas medidas na politica internacional. Por exemplo, Jenkins aponta o facto de as recentes eleicoes na Russia terem sido consideradas por monitores europeus como tendo sido 'limitadas' e 'menos do que livres e justas'. Em contrapartida, as eleicoes no Iaque foram consideradas com um 'triunfo da democracia'. As proximas eleicoes no Zimbabwe e no Irao, mesmo antes de serem realizadas, ja foram consideradas como nao obedecendo a 'criterios democraticos'. Entretanto, as do Paquistao, por consenso geral, foram consideradas como uma 'afirmacao da liberdade'....

E Jenkins na sua saga, brinca com um dado interessante. Diz que pelo menos Medvedev, o Presidente russo foi eleito, enquanto que Brown, actual primeiro ministro britanico, nao o foi! ... Mas o melhor e ler na integra este majestoso artigo...no Guardian de hoje, clique aqui

Democracy is ill served by its self-appointed guardians
Our sonorous moralising lies behind so much bloodshed in the past 50 years. A sense of history surely counsels humility

Simon Jenkins The Guardian, Wednesday March 5 2008

This week's Russian elections were "limited" and "less than free and fair", according to western monitors. The last elections in Iraq, by contrast, were "a triumph for democracy". The forthcoming elections in Zimbabwe and Iran have been pre-emptively dismissed as a travesty. Those in Pakistan were, by general consent, an affirmation of freedom.

Democracies are like two-year-olds: adorable when they belong to you, but you never see them as others do. Downing Street had a problem with the new Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, since the procedure by which he was chosen was little short of feudal. Yet Gordon Brown could hardly slap him on the back as the victor in some great electoral tourney. Medvedev might hit back with a joke about western leaders also being slid into office by friends and predecessors - and at least he had an election of sorts. The British prime minister wisely muttered something noncommittal and put down the phone.