❓👁IS AUSTRALIA BECOMING AUTHORITARIAN👁❓
Main Characteristics:
Authoritarianism can be understood through several core principles:
🇦🇺Centralization of Power: Political authority is concentrated in the hands of a single ruler or a small group of elites.
There are limited opportunities for political pluralism or competing power centers.
🇦🇺Limited Political Pluralism: Unlike democracies, where multiple parties and viewpoints compete, authoritarian regimes often suppress opposition.
Opposition parties may be banned, marginalized, or strictly controlled.
These regimes often restrict or control opposition, either through legal mechanisms or by outright banning political parties that could threaten the ruling authority
🇦🇺Controlled Political Participation: Citizens have minimal involvement in decision-making. Elections, if held, are often manipulated, rendering them non-competitive.
🇦🇺Repression of Civil Liberties: Free speech, assembly, and the press are often restricted. Media outlets are either state-controlled or heavily censored, with dissent suppressed through intimidation, imprisonment, or violence.
BUREAUCRATIC AUTHORITARIANISM.
Where technocrats and bureaucrats play key roles in governance, focusing on administrative efficiency over political participation.
Authoritarian regimes often lead to
widespread human rights abuses☑️
as
civil liberties are curtailed☑️
and
political opposition is violently suppressed.☑️
These regimes tend to
weaken democratic institutions☑️
and can result in
a lack of political accountability,☑️
corruption,☑️
and
economic inequality.☑️
Furthermore, authoritarian regimes often
resist external criticism,☑️
making international diplomacy and humanitarian interventions complex.☑️
AUTHORITARIANISM [has a] tendency to lead to abuses of power.
Without institutional checks and balances, authoritarian leaders can often act with impunity, leading to corruption and human rights violations...[&] lack of democratic accountability.
Current Examples
...leaders have suppressed political opposition, curtailed media freedom, and maintained a tight grip on power, often citing national security or stability as justifications.
[they were actually talking about China and Russia, here...]
HYBRID REGIMES incorporate both democratic and authoritarian elements...
Relevance in the Contemporary World
In recent years, there has been growing concern about the rise of populist leaders and the erosion of democratic norms in various countries.
ANTI-GLOBALISM
Anti-globalization encompasses opposition to the dominance of large multinational corporations,
concerns about environmental degradation (deforestation; biodiversity loss) due to rapid economic growth,
and fears that globalization exacerbates social inequalities.
SEE: The World Trade Organization (WTO)
Several key criticisms of globalization:
▪️Economic Inequality (SEE: Gina Reinhart)
▪️Environmental Degradation (SEE: The great Artesian Basin; Murray-Darling; trees; animals; pollution; AUKUS)
▪️Cultural Homogenization (eroding local traditions🎄)
▪️Democratic Deficit: in global governance institutions, such as the WTO, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank.
These institutions operate with limited transparency and accountability, making decisions that affect millions without adequate input from the public or marginalized communities.
✊🏻SOCIAL MOVEMENT✊🏻
For environmental justice,
human rights,
and
corporate accountability.
This perspective emphasizes the role of collective identity, networks, and framing processes in mobilizing activists and shaping movement goals.
🎓⚡️
