Word: draconianism
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...from Taiwan, but repeated episodes of political unruliness in Hong Kong have caught Beijing off guard. The tactics it's using to keep the former British colony in check only seem to strengthen support for its opponents. Last summer, when the Hong Kong government tried to introduce a draconian antisubversion law, half a million people took to the streets. In an attempt to quell the dissent, Beijing allowed the law to be shelved. But many Hong Kongers responded by demanding the direct election of their Chief Executive?currently chosen by a narrow, pro-Beijing electoral college?by 2007, the earliest...
...shaky legal case for war on trial with her. Prosecutors calculated they couldn't persuade every member of a jury that her leak wasn't an act of conscience they should excuse - and now the government must review its obviously ineffective Official Secrets Act, whose draconian provisions against divulging classified information are not doing much good. As investigations proceed on both sides of the Atlantic about intelligence that was faulty and perhaps deliberately skewed, both European and American leaders know they need to make sure their spies don't become laws unto themselves, fixated on their own orthodoxies...
...ordinary Russians, the scenes of carnage were numbingly familiar, yet another reminder of how dangerous the country has become since President Vladimir Putin came to power. While Putin has imposed draconian curbs on the media and created a tame Parliament, he has not been able to pacify Chechnya, the breakaway republic whose separatists were swiftly blamed for the subway bombing. In 1999 Putin, then a new and little-known Prime Minister, made his name by ordering the reinvasion of Chechnya. Military commanders promised a speedy victory; instead, a radical, fundamentalist wing of the guerrilla movement has brought...
...people escaped. Despite the darkness, fire and the acrid smoke, witnesses said passengers were remarkably calm. Could they be getting used to such atrocities? The underground carnage was yet another reminder of how dangerous Russia has become since President Vladimir Putin came to power. While Putin has imposed draconian curbs on the media and created a tame parliament - some of whose members are now urging him to extend the presidential term from four to seven years - he has not been able to pacify Chechnya, the breakaway republic whose separatists were swiftly blamed for the subway bombing. In 1999 Putin, then...
...senior Italian antiterror official admits that increased powers have been abused. "We cannot be indiscriminate, which would be a great victory for the terrorists who are seeking to create a clash of civilizations," he says. That's the argument of civil-rights activists too. "Our concern is that draconian policies are usually counterproductive," says Hugill. The committee of British parliamentarians, which blasted internment for foreign terror suspects, also criticized the government for not trying alternatives that might be equally effective, like electronic tagging and intensive surveillance, or giving prosecutors more tools to convict terrorists in open court, like admitting wiretap...