The Arab world is in ferment. While issues of democracy and individual rights have cropped up several times in the course of recent events, the US has been considerably circumspect in its pronouncements given its own patchy record in promoting such values in the region. Meanwhile, Chinese propaganda rubbishes talk of any transition to democracy, emphasizing ‘social stability and normal order’ and warning against the chaos of regime change.
Where however, is India in this picture?
“Go ahead sue me, my father is Li Gang!” shouted the unrepentant young son of a senior police officer in a provincial Chinese city last October. His car had just been forced to a stop by passersby after he had mowed down two young girls, killing one. Today, “my father is Li Gang” is a widely used expression in China, to refer to the impunity with which those connected to halls of power, can get away with their crimes. It is an impunity that is familiar to the people of Tunisia, where Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire in desperate protest.
