Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Reading Between the Lines

The omission of any direct reference to China in President Obama's speech to the Australian parliament speaks volumes.




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Sometimes, the most interesting part of a political speech is what’s not said. On Thursday, President Barack Obama delivered an address to Australia’s Parliament in which he set out the rationale and priorities of the U.S. policy shift towards the Asia Pacific region. The speech was largely about China, but Mr. Obama barely dared to say that country’s name out loud. The complexity and sensitivity of the U.S.-China relationship were on full display, for those to read between the lines.

Much of the speech sought to reassure China’s neighbours about America’s commitment to regional security in the face of rising Chinese power. The United States, said Mr. Obama, will “deter threats to peace” and keep its commitments to allies including to Japan, South Korea and Australia. It will adopt a more “flexible” military posture, including by basing Marines in northern Australia and by training the naval and land forces of regional partners. It will also deploy “new capabilities,” an oblique phrase that may refer to ship-based drone aircraft, which have the potential to significantly expand the reach of U.S. air and naval power.



More from the CIC: How Will Canada Navigate China's Rise?



The rest of the speech addressed several other hot button issues in U.S.-China relations. For example, the president emphasized the need to ensure that “commerce and freedom of navigation are not impeded” and that “countries with large surpluses take action to boost demand at home.” He called for a “level playing field” for business in which “every nation plays by the rules” and “intellectual property and new technologies that fuel innovation are protected; and where currencies are market driven so no nation has an unfair advantage.” Moreover, he spoke strongly about upholding human rights – and workers’ rights, in particular. These messages were clearly intended mainly for China.

Amazingly, however, Obama barely mentioned China in the speech. The text of his address was 50 paragraphs long, but he referred to China in only one of these paragraphs.



More from the CIC: The Club That Matters



This omission served a diplomatic purpose. China is extremely sensitive to American criticism – and even more so to what it views as American meddling in the region. By speaking indirectly, President Obama was able to reassure China’s nervous neighbours, while communicating his entreaties to China, along with implicit warnings – without unduly insulting or provoking Beijing.

Nevertheless, isn’t it striking that these messages have to be communicated so obliquely, and that relations between the world’s two most important countries remain so brittle that a speech that is essentially about China needs to be dressed up as something else?

The silences in Mr. Obama’s speech were as eloquent as his words.

Origin
Source: the Mark 

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