As Economy Grows, North Korea's Grip on Society Weakens

Re:As Economy Grows, North Korea's Grip on Society Weakens by vtange on Sunday April 30, 2017 @06:16PM (#14234165)

The problem is a lot can change if we going to give China nearly a century for political change.

A lot of countries today are starting to look not to Western democracies as examples/role models of success but to China. Even in existing democracies, it is not surprising that the recent populist/nationalist movements arguing for isolationism, economic-nationalism, increased government control stem out of a world where China is the shining beacon of consistent 5%+ economic growth.

By the time China should change, they might have already reshaped the world such that they don't need to change.

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Re:As Economy Grows, North Korea's Grip on Society Weakens by tormeh on Monday May 01, 2017 @07:03AM (#14236708)

Change is not imposed from outside. It's just that increased wealth and trade in the end always results in increased liberalism, tolerance and freedom.

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Re:As Economy Grows, North Korea's Grip on Society Weakens by Camillo on Monday May 01, 2017 @10:41AM (#14237798)

But it doesn't. Even the US is moving away from liberalism. Consider the increasing restrictions on and fading support for freedom of speech, the most fundamental of liberal values.

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Re:As Economy Grows, North Korea's Grip on Society Weakens by tormeh on Monday May 01, 2017 @11:08AM (#14238086)

Yeah, that's the other side of the coin: Decreasing prosperity leads to decreasing liberalism, and in many US and EU regions prosperity is decreasing with predictable political consequences.

The authoritarians of the day don't have a lot of supporters in NY, SF, London or Paris. It's the US flyover states and French mining towns that are turning away from liberalism.

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