New Freedom House ratings

[they don't love you like i love you]

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.

[2952-0-0]

Strange that Venezuela was not downgraded this year...I thought when the president gives himself the right to rule by decree the political rights score should go up. Somalia changed from 7,7, possibly due to the Islamists taking over Mogadishu last year. Sri Lanka is no surprise, since violence has been brewing there since last March or so, what with air strikes, massacres, and bombings. South Africa moved from 1,2 to 2,2, though I don't know what happened there. And of course Iraq. Perhaps the most shocking change was Thailand, which was 2,3 in 2004, 3,3 in 2005 and is now 7,4 after the September coup. Overall it was probably the most depressing year for freedom in the past decade or so.

Though of course there were improvements, like Nepal, which is now 5,4 (I guess the King agreeing to a government including communists caused this).

[Colin]

I'm suprised about a few thing.

South Africa's political score going down, I don't know what their reasoning is there, is most apparent to me right now.

I'm always suprised by how hard Freedom House grades Russia. They deserve a 4,4 or a 5,4 possibly I would hardly put them on the same level as Syria and Rwanda even if Putin is quite authoritarian. To put it into prospective Tajikistan has the same score and they haven't held an election since 1995. At least Russia goes through that formality and allows some opposition. They should be allowed to be a part of the partially free catagory not form a block with China and Syria.

[they don't love you like i love you]

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.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

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?

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Wow, Iraq and Iran are both 6,6.

[bullmoose88]

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

[they don't love you like i love you]

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.

[MaC]

interesting stuff.  If only I had time to look at it more in-depth.

[12th Doctor]

Fact is that any country occupied by another country regardless of the conditions is going to suffer in ratings.  Freedom House is a good organization (though the UN... or rather the thugs who run the UN who didn't like being told their countries weren't free... decried them and removed them from their advisory role) I trust their judgement.

[Cubby]

I'm always suprised by how hard Freedom House grades Russia. They deserve a 4,4 or a 5,4 possibly I would hardly put them on the same level as Syria and Rwanda even if Putin is quite authoritarian. To put it into prospective Tajikistan has the same score and they haven't held an election since 1995. At least Russia goes through that formality and allows some opposition. They should be allowed to be a part of the partially free catagory not form a block with China and Syria.

I disagree. Russia does not tolerate dissent anymore. Putin's sucessor will be hand picked by him. Holding an election to validate a government-approved choice is not democracy. Also, having the provincial governors appointed by the Kremlin instead of elected is a step backward. Russia has been in a downward spiral as far as democracy is concerned since 2000.

[Silent Hunter]

Not entirely sure why Iraq went down. Probably the result of the violence there.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Not entirely sure why Iraq went down. Probably the result of the violence there.

To quote Freedom House: "Civil Liberties rating declined from 5 to 6 because of growing sectarian violence and insecurity."

[Colin]

I'm always suprised by how hard Freedom House grades Russia. They deserve a 4,4 or a 5,4 possibly I would hardly put them on the same level as Syria and Rwanda even if Putin is quite authoritarian. To put it into prospective Tajikistan has the same score and they haven't held an election since 1995. At least Russia goes through that formality and allows some opposition. They should be allowed to be a part of the partially free catagory not form a block with China and Syria.

I disagree. Russia does not tolerate dissent anymore.

They have more than Tajikistan or Egypt. While the free press is reeling under Putin its not in the utter state of distress that it is in other nations with the same rating.

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So was Yeltsin's. Puting was hand picked by Yeltsin in 2000 to be his successor. So it's not really a whole lot different than any other time in post-Soviet history.

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True but the holding of elections with multiple candidates should at least merit them slightly higher than a 6, or 5. I'm not talking higher numbers but something in the partly free catagory.

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True I wont fault you there.

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Not really. Yeltsin was as authoritarian as Putin is, as we can see by his supressions during his first term, however by Yeltsin's second term his health was failing and his underlings were struggling to place themselves in the position to be Yeltsin's hand picked successor so he was not able to dominate the scene as much as Putin is. Yeltsin also had to deal with general discontent from the Russian people due to poor economic management whereas Russia under Putin has seen strong economic numbers stemming from high oil and natural gas prices.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Strange that Venezuela was not downgraded this year...I thought when the president gives himself the right to rule by decree the political rights score should go up.

That happened this year, but the score is based on what things were like in 2006.

[Verily]

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.)

[they don't love you like i love you]

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.

[Cubby]

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Not really. Yeltsin was as authoritarian as Putin is, as we can see by his supressions during his first term, however by Yeltsin's second term his health was failing and his underlings were struggling to place themselves in the position to be Yeltsin's hand picked successor so he was not able to dominate the scene as much as Putin is. Yeltsin also had to deal with general discontent from the Russian people due to poor economic management whereas Russia under Putin has seen strong economic numbers stemming from high oil and natural gas prices.

Yeltsin was not authoritarian, compared to all of Russian History and Putin as well. I don't know why Russians act as if the 90's were so terrible compared to today. They may have more money now but they live in a fascist state.

[2952-0-0]

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Not really. Yeltsin was as authoritarian as Putin is, as we can see by his supressions during his first term, however by Yeltsin's second term his health was failing and his underlings were struggling to place themselves in the position to be Yeltsin's hand picked successor so he was not able to dominate the scene as much as Putin is. Yeltsin also had to deal with general discontent from the Russian people due to poor economic management whereas Russia under Putin has seen strong economic numbers stemming from high oil and natural gas prices.

Yeltsin was not authoritarian, compared to all of Russian History and Putin as well. I don't know why Russians act as if the 90's were so terrible compared to today. They may have more money now but they live in a fascist state.

As if that has never ever happened in Russia .

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Democracy is overrated.