Recently an article was published in Foreign Policy at Japan suggesting that its polity needs to embrace democratic values. What the author was on about, is that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has governed Japan for most of its post war history. True, except for a brief four year period from 2008 to 2012 when the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) controlled government. Yes, Japan is practically a one party state. However it isn't the only country holding open elections to hold this distinction. Singapore has been ruled by the People's Action Party (PAP) since independence, Malaysia has been governed by United Malay Organization (UMO) also since gaining independence. In the post war era Germany has been ruled for a majority of that time by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) except when Helmut Schmidt of the Social Party Democratic (SPD) was elected chancellor.
As everyone on the planet has noticed and notices every four years American political campaigns last for ever, or is that they just never stop. Like any political process money plays a part in gaining elected office in America yet there were some controls until Citizens United vs. FEC. In that case the United States Supreme Court that money, being speech couldn't be restricted to certain amounts under rules adopted by the Federal Elections Commission. Not that the wealthy haven't tried to buy elections for years in America this ruling gave them carte blanche to purchase a government. Ever since the Koch brothers have been at the forefront of a small group of wealthy individuals hell bent on buying themselves a government.
On Friday North Korean Foreign Ri Su-yong suggested in an interview with the Associated Press that his government would cease nuclear arms testing if South Korea and the U.S. halted their annual war games. Since the 1990's when it was first discovered that the North was developing the technology for nuclear weapons several attempts have been made through diplomatic negotiations to halt North Korea's weapons program. President Clinton tried the Agreed Framework under which for discontinuing its weapons program a nuclear power plant for producing electricity would be built. Even though an accord was reached the program ultimately failed after it was discovered that North Korea had continued researching the technology for producing nuclear weapons. The Six Party Talks followed the Agreed Framework involving Russia, China, South Korea, North Korea, Japan and the U.S. These talks failed for the reasons as the Agreed Framework when again North Korea was discovered to be violating the agreement.
As everyone on the planet has noticed and notices every four years American political campaigns last for ever, or is that they just never stop. Like any political process money plays a part in gaining elected office in America yet there were some controls until Citizens United vs. FEC. In that case the United States Supreme Court that money, being speech couldn't be restricted to certain amounts under rules adopted by the Federal Elections Commission. Not that the wealthy haven't tried to buy elections for years in America this ruling gave them carte blanche to purchase a government. Ever since the Koch brothers have been at the forefront of a small group of wealthy individuals hell bent on buying themselves a government.
On Friday North Korean Foreign Ri Su-yong suggested in an interview with the Associated Press that his government would cease nuclear arms testing if South Korea and the U.S. halted their annual war games. Since the 1990's when it was first discovered that the North was developing the technology for nuclear weapons several attempts have been made through diplomatic negotiations to halt North Korea's weapons program. President Clinton tried the Agreed Framework under which for discontinuing its weapons program a nuclear power plant for producing electricity would be built. Even though an accord was reached the program ultimately failed after it was discovered that North Korea had continued researching the technology for producing nuclear weapons. The Six Party Talks followed the Agreed Framework involving Russia, China, South Korea, North Korea, Japan and the U.S. These talks failed for the reasons as the Agreed Framework when again North Korea was discovered to be violating the agreement.
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