Fumbling Towards Authoritarianism vs The Long Arc...
I can't say I was ever possessed what could pass for an optimistic outlook on the world. This would probably surprise precisely nobody who knew me before the age of 25 or so. But the old Cold Warrior in me at least believed in something resembling MLKs "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Maybe not justice exactly, but something at least better . The Soviet Union imploded and the Soviet Bloc states emerged from their prisons; former colonies have gained their independence, royal families have been neutered, etc, etc. There was a belief kicking around starting in the early 90s and lasting for at least the decade that held to the notion that if we just coaxed China into the global world marketplace it would liberalize. It was almost an axiomatic belief. I could say that I didn't believe it - which is true - but in all honesty it wasn't for any particularly far-seeing reason. Instead it was because I simply am ...