Capitalism had a great war with communism in the 20th century. It was a cold war with hot battles, and capitalism took more than half a century and two generations to defeat communism.
Since the idealism of The Communist Manifesto can no longer be an inspiration or aspiration to govern, authoritarian regimes put up a new face of greatness in the name of nationalism. Wars between democracy and autocracy are inevitable, as they have opposing goals: individual freedom and happiness versus police-state security; rule of law and social harmony versus absolute authority; personal creativity and accomplishment versus national superiority.
While authoritarian regimes fought each other throughout history with senseless sacrifices of numerous lives, the West also experienced large-scale religious conflicts from the French wars of religion in the 16th century to the Thirty Years’ War of central Europe in the 17th century. Freedom of religion did not prevail until the 18th century, notably the American Revolution that opened up a free new world.
Notwithstanding religion and autocracy battles in some corners of the world, freedom and democracy have become the universal values of civil societies, and the desire of common men and women. It is just a matter of time for democracy to confront autocracy in their final battle.
At the start of the 21st century, the world witnessed the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There is every sense that this is a war between democracy and autocracy, as US President Joe Biden provided a clear vision and an unapologetic conviction by declaring last year that saving the world from autocracy is “the challenge of our time.” It mobilizes the democratic camp to act quickly, globally and completely to deliver weaponry supplies, financial sanctions, humanitarian aid and more to Ukraine.
The democratic camp appears to be strongly bounded in the spirit of NATO’s Article 5, which states a that an armed attack against one or more signatory shall be considered an attack against them all, declaring that each “will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary.”
The world’s alliance of democratic and free countries clearly would want Russian President Vladimir Putin to be pushed out of office if he unleashed chemical, biological or nuclear weapons on Ukraine. Biden’s public statement in Poland: “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” reflected then-US president Ronald Reagan’s 1987 remark in West Berlin: “Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” referring to the Berlin Wall.
The comments were meant to place historical milestones; for Reagan, to eliminate communism, and for Biden, autocracy.
The two largest autocratic countries today are China and Russia, and Russia is the lesser of the problem. Former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平) said in 1978 that it does not matter if a cat is black or white; so long as it captures mice, it is a good cat. With that comment, he unleashed the individual creativity and entrepreneurship of the Chinese, which not only changed the course of China, but also human history by pulling the greatest number of people out of poverty in the historically shortest time.
However, during the civil war between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the renowned academic and May Fourth Movement leader Hu Shi (胡適) famously said: “The US has bread and freedom. The Soviet Union has bread, but no freedom. Communist China would have no bread and no freedom.”
It is a blessing that the Chinese now have more than bread, but do they have freedom, let alone happiness? The lack of rule of law creates difficulty for China in maintaining a harmonious society. Just look at its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Hong Kong democratic movement. The sad truth is that absolute authority of a police state has more often than not created chaos beyond imagination.
The problem is not limited to individual freedom being unreasonably compromised, or human rights being severely violated. Entrepreneurs are forced to give up their creativity, abandon their talents and jeopardize their businesses to remain loyal to the party. As a result, free-market forces no longer work properly, outflows of capital and foreign investment threaten the economy, and entrepreneurship dims the light, ready to forfeit its promise of prosperity.
Power corrupts and absolute authority corrupts absolutely. Justice comes too late for those who die in a collapsing “tofu apartment,” shaky school building, poorly drained highway tunnel or outside the hospital without urgent care for lack of a negative COVID-19 test.
That some Russian troops became sitting ducks in Ukraine reveals how corruption in the military easily sends their young soldiers to graves. Harsh government is fiercer than tigers, as the Chinese proverb says.
Moreover, seeking national superiority stirs up hostility in neighboring countries and beyond. Rumors were rife that China would invade Taiwan in the fall if Putin had his way in Ukraine. More global tragedies are undoubtedly waiting to occur if the trend continues. The worst is yet to come if Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is allowed to remain in power for another term or more.
Some democratic force within China appears to be hard at work. Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji (朱鎔基), who negotiated China’s 2001 accession to the WTO, privately questioned Xi’s state-centered policy, the Wall Street Journal reported, adding that many “elders” in the CCP, including Zhu, quietly oppose Xi remaining in power.
Nobody knows how autocracy in China or Russia might evolve. As Sun Tzu (孫子) wrote in The Art of War: “Do not count on their inaction; count on our being prepared. Do not count on their failure to attack; count on our being unattackable.”
If any lesson is to be learned from the Ukraine war, it must be the refugee crisis. This war should have been fought on Russian territory, or at the least at the Ukraine border, to minimize the refugee outpouring, consistent with the strategy “the best defense is a good offense.
The war between democracy and autocracy is descending upon us as the greatest challenge of our time. Beyond Ukraine, the Taiwan Strait could be the place for the next major war between democracy and autocracy.
The world’s democratic bloc is under great leadership, and Taiwan is an integral part of global humanity. A concerted effort by all concerned parties could alleviate the bloodshed and crises involving refugees and supply chains. It is never too late to try to help democratize China and Russia as a good offense for the world’s sake, before the worst scenario runs its course.
James J.Y. Hsu is a retired physics professor who taught at National Cheng Kung University, and is a member and former president of the North America Taiwanese Professors’ Association.
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