The BBC has given some good coverage to the Human Rights Watch annual report. This quite rightly slams the US and European countries for an increasing tendency to tolerate autocrats "claiming the mantle of democracy" by the holding of elections, while not pressing "governments on the key human rights issues that make democracy function - a free press, peaceful assembly, and a functioning civil society that can really challenge power." HRW blames strategic and commercial calculations for this slippage.
We in Britain are of course not immune to this charge, having recently disgraced ourselves in our fawning admiration of those noted paragons of virtue, Saudi Arabia and China. No doubt when the Pakistani election generates a 'victory' for some form of pro-Musharraf coalition - but which will leave him in control of the country - we will applaud that too.
Coming hot on the heels of Freedom House's conclusion that freedom is on the retreat around the world, 2008 has got off to a depressing start. With Russia's sham presidential election looming, expect the trend to continue.
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