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General Politics => International General Discussion => Topic started by: Lourdes on February 05, 2019, 07:40:15 PM



Title: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Lourdes on February 05, 2019, 07:40:15 PM
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https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2019/democracy-in-retreat

Some highlights:

Quote
In 2018, Freedom in the World recorded the 13th consecutive year of decline in global freedom. The reversal has spanned a variety of countries in every region, from long-standing democracies like the United States to consolidated authoritarian regimes like China and Russia. The overall losses are still shallow compared with the gains of the late 20th century, but the pattern is consistent and ominous. Democracy is in retreat.

* Some countries with notable gains in freedom include Malaysia, Ethiopia, Armenia, and Angola. Zimbabwe is upgraded to partly free, from its"not free" score last year.

* Hungary is now officially "partly free", the first EU country with this distinction. Serbia is also downgraded to partly free status, after being in the free column last year.

* Nicaragua and Uganda fall from partly free to "not free", and the usual suspects of the likes of China, Venezuela, Russia and Turkey also retained already abysmal scores.


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: dead0man on February 06, 2019, 12:35:10 AM
sh**t countries continue to be sh**t


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Middle-aged Europe on February 06, 2019, 03:43:28 AM
* Hungary is now officially "partly free", the first EU country with this distinction.

The first one ever if I'm not mistaken. That certainly took a while, but it's a pretty big development. Tunisia and Senegal have now a better Freedom House rating then Hungary.


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: TDAS04 on February 06, 2019, 04:54:51 AM
Mongolia continues to be an oasis of democracy.


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Middle-aged Europe on February 06, 2019, 08:27:06 AM
The G20 members ranked by their "aggregate score" (0 to 100):


"Free" countries

1. Canada (99)
2. Australia (98)
3. Japan (96)
4. Germany (94)
5. United Kingdom (93)
6. France (90)
7. Italy (89)
8. United States (86)
9. Argentina (84)
10. South Korea (83)
11. South Africa (79)
12. Brazil (75)
13. India (75)

"Partly Free" countries
14. Mexico (63)
15. Indonesia (62)

"Not Free" countries
16. Turkey (31)
17. Russia (20)
18. China (11)
19. Saudi Arabia (7)


(note: Brazil has a better "Civil Liberties" score than India, while both countries share the same "Political Rights" score. Therefore I put Brazil ahead of India.)


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Santander on February 06, 2019, 09:24:20 PM
Democracy declines globally for 13th consecutive year. :)


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: 🦀🎂🦀🎂 on February 07, 2019, 10:48:08 AM
Bangladesh should be considered Not Free IMO.


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Bismarck on February 07, 2019, 11:51:53 AM
Why is Colombia considered to be partially free?


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Middle-aged Europe on February 07, 2019, 12:02:19 PM
Why is Colombia considered to be partially free?

https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2018/colombia


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Tender Branson on February 07, 2019, 12:14:03 PM
Why are they showing Tibet as an independent country on the map ?


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: thumb21 on February 07, 2019, 12:56:21 PM
Interesting, thanks.

Why are they showing Tibet as an independent country on the map ?

I think because they are taking seperate measurements for Tibet as a territory. They are doing the same with Indian and Pakistani Kashmir.


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Santander on February 07, 2019, 12:58:36 PM
Interesting, thanks.

Why are they showing Tibet as an independent country on the map ?

I think because they are taking seperate measurements for Tibet as a territory. They are doing the same with Indian and Pakistani Kashmir.

They should start doing it for Xinjiang.


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Omega21 on February 07, 2019, 01:02:40 PM
Calling Hungary "partly free" is ridiculous.


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Middle-aged Europe on February 07, 2019, 02:12:51 PM
Calling Hungary "partly free" is ridiculous.


Well, as far as I understand their system, a country is automatically downgraded from "Free" to "Partly Free" as soon as the average of its "Political Rights" and "Civil Liberties" scores reaches a 3.0 out of 7, as it was the case here.

This happened because Hungary's "Civil Liberties" score was downgraded from a "2" to a "3" this year (the country's "Political Rights" had already been at "3" for the past two years now).

Reading Freedom House's country report on Hungary it seems like the downgrade in the "Civil Liberties" category specifically happened due to curtailments in the area of freedom of religion for both Christians and Muslims, as the report notes:


Quote
After the adoption of a 2011 law on churches, some 300 religious communities lost their status as incorporated churches—with which the state cooperates on community affairs, among other privileges—and were relegated to the new category of “religious organizations.” The law made it the task of the parliament to determine which communities are recognized as churches, and many of the deregistered churches have not reacquired their previous status in the years since.  

Government-led xenophobic campaigns in recent years have fueled anti-Muslim sentiment, which in turn has discouraged the open practice of Islam.

So, it seems the downgrade to "Partly Free" was more like a "straw that broke the camel's back" moment. According to Freedom House's assessments, Hungary had already been edging pretty closely to the "Partly Free" status in 2016 and 2017 and this is what pushed it finally over the line.


Hungary did in fact also lose a point in the "Political Pluralism and Participation" sub-section of the "Political Rights" category this year, but apparently not enough to decrease the overall PR score from "3" to "4". The reports notes in that regard:

Quote
The Fidesz-led ruling coalition has dominated the political landscape since the 2010 elections. The opposition remains fragmented, and opposition parties increasingly contend with obstacles and restrictions that detract from their ability to gain power through elections. These include unequal access to media and media smear campaigns, politicized audits, and a campaign environment skewed by the ruling coalition’s mobilization of state resources.

While the 2018 parliamentary polls were generally well administered, the proliferation of obstacles faced by opposition parties and candidates diminished their ability to freely compete with Fidesz. The OSCE cited as particularly problematic the “pervasive overlap between state and ruling party resources,” which often made extensive government advertising campaigns indistinguishable from Fidesz promotional materials. The ruling party also harnessed the public broadcaster to disseminate its message, with the OSCE’s media monitoring mission describing “clear patterns of political bias” in its election-related programming.

A series of fines issued in January by the ÁSZ, which is led by a former Fidesz member, distracted opposition parties from their campaigns. The audit office fined six opposition parties for alleged financing violations, including Jobbik—now the largest opposition party—whose fine was equal to more than two-thirds of its annual state subsidy. The treasury and tax authority suspended the collection of the fines until after the elections, but the parties’ ability to challenge the penalties was limited.


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Former President tack50 on February 07, 2019, 06:49:35 PM
The overall trend away from liberal democracy is one of the saddest trends of the 21st century


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: DavidB. on February 07, 2019, 07:17:34 PM
Calling Hungary "partly free" is ridiculous.
This. If Hungary were only "partly free", people wouldn't have felt as free to demonstrate against the Orbán government in large numbers. Compare that to Morocco, another country in the "partly free" category, where something like that would never be possible.

Also don't really agree with Georgia's classification as "partly free" instead of "free". I've read last year's report in detail and most of their assessment isn't necessarily wrong, but they have subsequently been really harsh in grading. Armenia only has 12 fewer points out of 100, whereas you just feel the difference in terms of freedom if you visit these two countries.

Honestly, Hungary should probably rank lower than Georgia, though I think both should rank as free.

When it comes to democratic backsliding in Europe, much more attention should be paid to Serbia.


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Ban my account ffs! on February 08, 2019, 09:35:22 AM
Calling Hungary "partly free" is ridiculous.
This. If Hungary were only "partly free", people wouldn't have felt as free to demonstrate against the Orbán government in large numbers. Compare that to Morocco, another country in the "partly free" category, where something like that would never be possible.

Also don't really agree with Georgia's classification as "partly free" instead of "free". I've read last year's report in detail and most of their assessment isn't necessarily wrong, but they have subsequently been really harsh in grading. Armenia only has 12 fewer points out of 100, whereas you just feel the difference in terms of freedom if you visit these two countries.

Honestly, Hungary should probably rank lower than Georgia, though I think both should rank as free.

When it comes to democratic backsliding in Europe, much more attention should be paid to Serbia.
If you can’t practice your religion openly and safely then your country is not free. 


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: DavidB. on February 08, 2019, 09:44:50 AM
Calling Hungary "partly free" is ridiculous.
This. If Hungary were only "partly free", people wouldn't have felt as free to demonstrate against the Orbán government in large numbers. Compare that to Morocco, another country in the "partly free" category, where something like that would never be possible.

Also don't really agree with Georgia's classification as "partly free" instead of "free". I've read last year's report in detail and most of their assessment isn't necessarily wrong, but they have subsequently been really harsh in grading. Armenia only has 12 fewer points out of 100, whereas you just feel the difference in terms of freedom if you visit these two countries.

Honestly, Hungary should probably rank lower than Georgia, though I think both should rank as free.

When it comes to democratic backsliding in Europe, much more attention should be paid to Serbia.
If you can’t practice your religion openly and safely then your country is not free. 
Who and which country does this refer to?

Calling Hungary "partly free" is ridiculous.
This. If Hungary were only "partly free", people wouldn't have felt as free to demonstrate against the Orbán government in large numbers. Compare that to Morocco, another country in the "partly free" category, where something like that would never be possible.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-morocco-protests/tens-of-thousands-protest-in-morocco-over-jailed-rif-activists-idUSKBN1K50R0
The event in Hungary seems to have been much bigger, and generally protesting in Morocco does have more negative repercussions, which means people will be much more reluctant to do so.


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Middle-aged Europe on February 08, 2019, 09:54:12 AM
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-morocco-protests/tens-of-thousands-protest-in-morocco-over-jailed-rif-activists-idUSKBN1K50R0
The event in Hungary seems to have been much bigger, and generally protesting in Morocco does have more negative repercussions, which means people will be much more reluctant to do so.

Well, I guess that's the reason why Hungary has a 3 out of 7 score on Civil Liberties, while Morocco has a 5 out of 7 score, which is considerably worse. The fact that two countries are both in the "Partly Free" category doesn't mean that they're identical. There's still a 1-to-7 scale.

According this year's Fredom House country report on Hungary, their "freedom of assembly" record is indeed still untainted, receiving 4 out of 4 possible points in that particular sub-category. It's just that this wasn't sufficient to keep them in the "Free" category in the overall scoring.

And while Hungary still receives the highest possible score in the "freedom of assembly" category, their assessement in this matter doesn't lack some criticism:

Quote
The constitution provides for freedom of assembly, and the government generally respects this right in practice. Fidesz’s electoral victory in 2018 prompted large crowds to turn out for peaceful antigovernment demonstrations.

Constitutional amendments approved in 2018 make it easier to restrict assemblies that are deemed to infringe on the right to private life; the changes were most likely prompted by demonstrations organized in front of the prime minister’s home. The amendments replaced a 1989 measure that many saw as an outdated regulation. While the new language contained some improvements, it also included excessive restrictions, including bans on gatherings that interfere with traffic (as most protests in Budapest do) and those that take place on private property without permission, which would effectively prohibit, among other things, union demonstrations on company premises. Already under the new rules, the police banned an opposition demonstration against Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit in October.


The 2019 country report for Morocco isn't online yet. Last year, Morocco had only 1 out of 4 points in the "freedom of assembly" category. So Freedom of House does indeed acknowledge that the situation of the freedom of assembly is considerably worse in Morocco than it is in Hungary. It just hasn't a effect on both countries' categorizations as "Partly Free", because aside from "freedom of assembly" their country reports list 24 other sub-categories where a country also receives assessment.


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Kevin on February 08, 2019, 01:17:06 PM
Why is Mexico only considered "Partially Free?"


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Santander on February 08, 2019, 01:19:43 PM
Why is Mexico only considered "Partially Free?"

They don't have a wall to keep all the freedom from escaping into America.


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Middle-aged Europe on February 08, 2019, 01:21:11 PM
Why is Mexico only considered "Partially Free?"

https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2018/mexico


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: mgop on February 09, 2019, 09:46:39 AM
Why is Mexico only considered "Partially Free?"

13 yeard drug war raging there. cartels killing everything in sight, so mexico really should be in not free category.


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: DavidB. on February 09, 2019, 10:45:53 AM
Why is Mexico only considered "Partially Free?"
It's one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: President Johnson on February 10, 2019, 12:46:23 PM
I wonder why Macedonia is rated as just "party free". It's the only non-green country I've ever been to other than Turkey (but that was in 2002).


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: Frodo on February 10, 2019, 01:14:24 PM
Quote
US FREEDOM IN DECLINE

The great challenges facing US democracy did not commence with the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Intensifying political polarization, declining economic mobility, the outsized influence of special interests, and the diminished influence of fact-based reporting in favor of bellicose partisan media were all problems afflicting the health of American democracy well before 2017.

Previous presidents have contributed to the pressure on our system by infringing on the rights of American citizens. Surveillance programs such as the bulk collection of communications metadata, initially undertaken by the George W. Bush administration, and the Obama administration’s overzealous crackdown on press leaks are two cases in point.

At the midpoint of his term, however, there remains little question that President Trump exerts an influence on American politics that is straining our core values and testing the stability of our constitutional system. No president in living memory has shown less respect for its tenets, norms, and principles. Trump has assailed essential institutions and traditions including the separation of powers, a free press, an independent judiciary, the impartial delivery of justice, safeguards against corruption, and most disturbingly, the legitimacy of elections. Congress, a coequal branch of government, has too frequently failed to push back against these attacks with meaningful oversight and other defenses.

Trump's administration should essentially be viewed as a 'stress test' on our democracy.


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: they don't love you like i love you on February 10, 2019, 01:14:47 PM
I wonder why Macedonia is rated as just "party free". It's the only non-green country I've ever been to other than Turkey (but that was in 2002).

Lots of intimidation of the media by the parties, mass corruption, and illegal surveillance by the government. Plus institutionalized discrimination against Albanians.


Title: Re: Freedom in the World: 2019 Report
Post by: AndyHogan14 on February 12, 2019, 02:27:08 AM
Interesting that I have been almost exclusively to "green" countries, but I have still visited each category. The exceptions are Mexico, Morocco, and the West Bank. Hungary is on the list of places to go next, so we'll see if it is still "yellow" by the time I finally make it there.

It's hard to believe that Mexico is "partly free" from my own personal experience in the country. I cross the border into Tijuana with some regularity (although not in a while thanks to the current president's shenanigans at the border) and have never encountered anything close to what is described in news reports...I suppose I should stay away from the states of Sinaloa and Chihuahua, eh? As far as the West Bank is concerned, I never ventured into territory controlled by the PA in any way, so I'm not sure if it truly counts as visiting a "not free" area.