Word: authoritarian
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...many of those exiles have returned home and joined one of the most exciting contemporary-art scenes in the world. But the explosion in Beijing's arts world is only one aspect of a broader cultural, social and even commercial flowering of the capital, until recently a symbol of authoritarian conformity to many outside China. Much has been written about the transformation of Beijing's hardware ahead of this summer's Olympic Games--both the whirlwind of development that has swept away huge swaths of the old city and the waves of cars that are choking its roads and poisoned...
...used by opticians are replaced with bawdy illustrations - might be a comment on the nature of pornography, or an invitation to look for the unexpected in the most prosaic situations. Li Xinlu's Beijing Lightning Babe illustrations poke brightly colored fun at the mass gymnastic displays so beloved of authoritarian regimes...
...funny thing happened on the way to prosperity. Halfway through 2008, Vietnam's authoritarian government finds itself grappling with soaring prices, collapsing markets and an increasingly restive workforce. Inflation, now running at an annual rate of 25%, is eating up much of the gains made by citizens over the last several years. Vietnam's stock market, which has fallen 58.5% since January, currently holds the unhappy title of being the worst-performing in the world in the last 30 days. Citing the government's difficulty in reining in inflation, Moody's, which grades creditworthiness, lowered Vietnam's ratings outlook last...
...Chavez controls the hemisphere's largest oil reserves, but an equally valuable commodity - the one that shields him from U.S. accusations that he's a dictator in the mold of Cuba's Fidel Castro - is his democratic legitimacy. Despite his authoritarian bent, Chavez has been fairly elected three times, and he can't afford to forfeit that cachet. That's why he surprised his critics by respecting the will of the electorate when he lost last year's referendum. The need to maintain his democratic credentials is also the reason why, in the face of howls from civil rights groups...
...unusual for an Asian politician to find himself in a defensive crouch. The day of the strongman has passed. For more than two decades, countries throughout the region have been undergoing transitions from authoritarian, patriarchal regimes to messy democracies that sometimes seem to be almost ungovernable. Asians are flexing their political muscles, exercising their civil rights vigorously even beyond the ballot box - and woe betide the leader who fails to deliver what he promises. Despite winning the presidencies of their respective countries by wide margins, Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand and Joseph Estrada of the Philippines were tossed out of office...