New Freedom House ratings

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/press_release/fiw07_charts.pdf

Notable changes are in Thailand, Syria (no longer a 7,7), Iraq going down (haha), Mexican dropping as well interestingly and Fiji.

Haiti is probably the most improved country.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

South Africa is probably just due to continued one party rule.

In the case of Russia, I think it's quite similar to Egypt now, which has the same score.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Wow, Iraq and Iran are both 6,6.

Its sad...I think Red's laughing at Iraq's decrease (err increase as the scale's concerned)...is sad...I think we should be out, but I was at least hoping for some good to come out of occupation.

Bah

It's more of a mocking of the whole "just give it a few years and Iraq is going to be a perfectly functioning healthy democracy" stuff we used to hear all the time.

Fact: It ain't working.

South Africa is probably just due to continued one party rule.

In the case of Russia, I think it's quite similar to Egypt now, which has the same score.

Can you explain why you think that?

Because both nominally allow opposition who hold some seats in government but they never have any chance of making a difference, and the ruling party pretty much dominates and dictates the media.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Can anyone find which Western European country is "Partly Free"? I can't figure out which it is. (Unless they have some weird definition of Western Europe that includes Montenegro or something.)

Turkey. A relic of the days when its NATO membership got it lumped in with Western Europe. Though it's worth noting Greece is nowhere near Western Europe geographically either yet almost always lumped in with it.