HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019256.jpg
2.14 MB
Extraction Summary
3
People
4
Organizations
22
Locations
5
Events
1
Relationships
4
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Report / academic publication (chapter 3)
File Size:
2.14 MB
Summary
This document appears to be page 22 of a report titled 'Breaking Down Democracy,' specifically Chapter 3, discussing the suppression of civil society in authoritarian regimes. It analyzes the decline of NGO freedoms in countries like Russia and China, discusses the phenomenon of 'color revolutions,' and includes quotes from Chinese state media and Vladimir Putin criticizing Western influence in these movements. The page bears a 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT' Bates stamp, indicating it was part of a document production to the U.S. House of Representatives.
People (3)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Mi Bohua | Editor (People's Daily) |
Cited in a sidebar quote regarding Western-style democracy and street politics.
|
| Vladimir Putin | President of Russia |
Quoted in a sidebar discussing extremism and color revolutions as geopolitical instruments.
|
| Viktor Yanukovych | Political Candidate |
Mentioned regarding the rigged 2004 Ukrainian elections where he was the candidate of the pro-Russian old guard.
|
Organizations (4)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom in the World |
Cited as a source regarding the decline of NGO freedom.
|
|
| Xinhua |
Source of a quote paraphrasing the People's Daily.
|
|
| People's Daily |
Referenced in relation to an editorial by Mi Bohua.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Implied recipient of the document via Bates stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT'.
|
Timeline (5 events)
1974
Overthrow of dictatorship (referenced as perhaps the first color revolution).
Portugal
Military officers
Civilian democracy advocates
2003-2005
Emergence of the term 'color revolution' describing popular movements overthrowing leadership.
Global
Locations (22)
Relationships (1)
Text states politicians in these countries had 'close ties to Moscow'.
Key Quotes (4)
"Countries in western Asia and northern Africa... have been led astray to the wrong path of Western-style democracy, that is, ‘street politics.’"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019256.jpg
Quote #1
"The United States and some Western forces have been involved in the street politics in these countries, either on stage or behind the scenes."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019256.jpg
Quote #2
"In the modern world, extremism is being used as a geopolitical instrument and for remaking spheres of influence."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019256.jpg
Quote #3
"We see what tragic consequences the wave of so-called color revolutions led to.... We should do everything necessary so that nothing similar ever happens in Russia."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019256.jpg
Quote #4
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (4,044 characters)
BREAKING DOWN DEMOCRACY: Goals, Strategies, and Methods of Modern Authoritarians
Chapter 3
The Enemy Within: Civil Society at Bay
Among the more surprising developments in 21st-century politics are the reversals experienced by civil society, once regarded as an irresistible force in the global struggle for democracy.
According to Freedom in the World, the ability of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society institutions to function without state restrictions has suffered a pronounced decline over the past decade. The setbacks have been concentrated in authoritarian states like Russia, China, Venezuela, and Iran. But civil society has also met with growing problems in democracies—India and Indonesia among them—and in settings where democracy’s prospects are unclear, as with Ecuador, Hungary, and Kenya.
The growing offensive against civil society is in many respects a tribute to the prominent role that NGOs have come to play in the political life of most countries. An active civil society is often seen as a formidable threat to a repressive or illiberal status quo. Civil society was the linchpin in the successful popular revolutions in Serbia, Ukraine, and Georgia. In fact, civil society organizations frequently pose a greater threat to autocracy than do traditional opposition parties, which have proven relatively easy for determined strongmen to sideline, neutralize, or co-opt. Civil society movements, by contrast, are generally composed of younger activists, committed to a cause, more resilient, more agile, and less prone to corruption.
To be sure, even some authoritarian states can boast of an active and growing civil society sector consisting of humanitarian organizations, religious entities, conservation groups, associations focused on public health or development, and so forth. It is with the NGOs that pursue politically sensitive objectives—human rights advocacy, democratic reform, or anticorruption measures—that oppressive leaders have serious differences. Especially in countries where elections have been rendered meaningless, civil society groups can become surrogates for a democratic opposition, and are therefore regarded with deep suspicion by the leadership.
The specter of ‘color revolution’
The term “color revolution” emerged in 2003–05 to describe a phenomenon whereby an existing political leadership is overthrown by a popular movement using tactics of nonviolent civil disobedience.
The term “color revolution” emerged in 2003–05 to describe a phenomenon whereby an existing political leadership is overthrown by a popular movement using tactics of nonviolent civil disobedience.
Successful nonviolent democratic revolutions are not new. Perhaps the first color revolution took place in 1974, when a dictatorship in Portugal was overthrown by military officers who drew on the support of civilian democracy advocates. Later peaceful revolutions overcame authoritarian regimes in the Philippines, South Korea, Chile, and Poland.
In the 21st century, however, the definitive events behind the new label took place in Georgia (2003) and Ukraine (2004–5). Both countries were governed by politicians with close ties to Moscow who were either personally corrupt or tolerated high levels of graft. In the Ukrainian elections of 2004, there was strong evidence of rigging to ensure the victory of Viktor Yanukovych, the candidate of the pro-Russian old guard.
[Sidebar Quote 1]
“Countries in western Asia and northern Africa, Ukraine and Thailand, which have experienced street protests and even armed conflicts, have been led astray to the wrong path of Western-style democracy, that is, ‘street politics.’... The United States and some Western forces have been involved in the street politics in these countries, either on stage or behind the scenes.”
—Xinhua, paraphrasing an editorial by Mi Bohua of the People’s Daily
“Countries in western Asia and northern Africa, Ukraine and Thailand, which have experienced street protests and even armed conflicts, have been led astray to the wrong path of Western-style democracy, that is, ‘street politics.’... The United States and some Western forces have been involved in the street politics in these countries, either on stage or behind the scenes.”
—Xinhua, paraphrasing an editorial by Mi Bohua of the People’s Daily
[Sidebar Quote 2]
“In the modern world, extremism is being used as a geopolitical instrument and for remaking spheres of influence. We see what tragic consequences the wave of so-called color revolutions led to.... We should do everything necessary so that nothing similar ever happens in Russia.”
—Vladimir Putin
“In the modern world, extremism is being used as a geopolitical instrument and for remaking spheres of influence. We see what tragic consequences the wave of so-called color revolutions led to.... We should do everything necessary so that nothing similar ever happens in Russia.”
—Vladimir Putin
22
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019256
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019256
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