How do we fight dictatorships?

Dick Erixon — I hjärtat rebell: "Västvärlden har tystnat.
Så borde det inte få förbli. Vi ska stå upp för mänskliga rättigheter — särskilt i den del av världen där de saknas mest. Och vi borde ta strid med diktaturerna. På alla plan. Inte minst i FN. Det är deras främsta arena, där de hämtar sin legitimitet genom att få agera som jämbördiga med demokratiskt valda ledare."

Carl Bildt is pointing out the importance of the Internet in a recent article in Washington Post. I believe that fighting dictatorships today is to let the information flow. Information imperialism as the Chinese call it. Erixon often state that we should stand up to authoritarian governments and I cannot agree more. The question, however, is how this battle should be fought today.

Take the Iranian regime. They have effectively managed to excite the US to begin threatening their country and this plays in the hands of the regime that want to win their local battle over moderates who try to speak of positives in the West. Treating Iran's regime like a delinquent child that want to test its surrounding is much better than hitting the child as a punishment. Patient versus criminal. The flow of information will than work its way into the fibers of the society.

I don't think this way solves all problems. However, I think the result is much better than with threats given the present circumstances. Bill Clinton had the right attitude went Hugo Chavez orated his diatribes at the UN. He sighed and uttered that Chavez was just destroying it for himself. Such leaders are their own worst enemies if they are treated as immatures rather than as criminals.