(03-10-2022, 03:34 PM)LeiwoUnion Wrote: I find it amusing that western countries wouldn't be called authoritarian.
Referring to regimes such as the Kremlin, the Chinese Communist Party, North Korea etc. as "authoritarian" is commonplace, because there are degrees of authoritarianism. By referring to them as "authoritarian" doesn't imply that democracies exhibit no authoritarian tendencies. Democracy also takes different forms in different countries, some exhibiting more authoritarian tendencies than others.
As someone who has lived through both governmental systems (South Africa) in my short little life, I can confidently tell you that you'll have difficulty convincing any non-white South African today that they were better off under the authoritarian apartheid regime than the liberal democracy they enjoy today.
Anyone can walk out their front door and protest the government without fear of imprisonment. Anyone can insult/criticise or make fun of the government publicly and on any social media platform without fear of imprisonment. Anyone can visit any website in the world without having to use a VPN and jump the "great firewall", as is the case in China, and fear imprisonment for doing so. We have religious freedom, although I have yet to encounter a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, but I'm sure they're out there. We have a free press. We have freedom of speech. We have gay marriage. I can go on and on, and I am sure you also enjoy these freedoms in Finland.
It's thanks to all those 'checks and balances' I mentioned earlier, enshrined in democratic constitutions. These constitutions serve the purpose of curbing authoritarianism and power grabs (however ineffectively), and allow ordinary citizens a level of freedom which was unimaginable in earlier times.
We have to work with things as they are, not with how we want them to be.
For me personally, after experiencing authoritarianism first-hand, I'm happy to go out on a limb and give my vote to democracy, and it appears the Ukrainians share my sentiments.
Putin can already be deemed to have failed in his goals. His economy is shattered, Ukrainians are more defiant than ever and now hate Russia, the US and the West are united as never before, and NATO has found a new relevance and might even get new members, including Finland, although I would put that consideration on ice for the moment if I were you guys, lest a very angry guy to the East of you in possession of the largest nuclear arsenal in the world decides to do something irresponsible... and unthinkable...