May 30, 2023
When an autocratic state calls for democracy, rule of law, and sovereignty, something just does not add up to Westerners. For the West to better understand contemporary China and its government’s underlying values, understanding China’s interpretation of those three elements should be a priority.
China’s global prominence is not only because it is the largest provider of commodities and manufactured goods. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been equally successful in terms of politics and diplomacy, and it manages to do so by selling its authoritarian model across the globe. Whereas developing and fragile states are more susceptible to it, also Western democracies have been receiving these implicit totalitarian elements.
The award ceremony in France, when Egyptian president Al-Sisi was given the Legion d’honneur caused a great stir in the international community and in particular in the Italian academic environment. The ceremony represents the hypocritical positions taken by Italy and France in their relationships with Egypt in the light of the recent events.
The nomination of the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for the 2020 corrupt person of the year award is questionable. Other prominent but controversial political leaders such as Recep Erdogan, Xi Jinping, and Alexander Lukashenko certainly were better candidates and could very well be given the infamous award.
