What do North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, Russia, Belarus and other similar countries have in common?
All these countries are united by hatred of the United States and the Western way of life, that is, liberal democratic values. Why? What is the pattern here?
Maybe these are the countries of the East, and we are talking about the eternal confrontation between East and West? However, among the friends of the USA and Europe there are countries with a pronounced Eastern philosophy and psychology. These are Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, etc. And, on the contrary, among America’s enemies there are Russia, Belarus, Venezuela, which have nothing to do with the Eastern mentality. So that’s not the point. You can be an eastern country and at the same time be pro-Western.
Maybe it’s the colonial past? Former colonies of developed Western countries are experiencing complexes of past grievances and dislike former metropolises? Not at all. Russia and Belarus have never been colonies of Western countries. And, conversely, India, a former colony of Great Britain, is in excellent relations with the former “metropolis”. Japan, once occupied by America, is today one of its closest partners.
So what’s the matter? What do all those countries that are hostile to the United States and Europe have in common? And they have one thing in common – an authoritarian regime. It is authoritarian regimes that are most afraid of the penetration of the spirit of freedom and democracy into their possessions. Because in a free society, questions inevitably arise: why has our country been led by the same person for decades, why is power concentrated between him and a narrow circle of his entourage, why is there no opposition in our country, why are people afraid to openly express their opinions? In order to avoid such questions from the people, the government inspires them with dislike for everything Western, including subconsciously and for democracy. To do this, propaganda skillfully manipulates people’s minds and flaunts the most unsightly, but insignificant signs of a free society. People are scared of homosexuals, prostitutes, drug addicts. They are taught that these are the main achievements of a free society. And they oppose them with traditional values: chastity, brotherhood, family traditions, the state’s concern for people.
The relative poverty of the majority of people and their inability to visit developed countries play into the hands of local authorities. Those who have such an opportunity usually immediately change their opinion about the West. They see that its shortcomings, inflated by the authoritarian authorities, pale before its advantages. It’s like saying that a car emits harmful gases and is dangerous for pedestrians and because of this it is necessary to drive carts. Or say that cell phones are harmful to the body and use wired phones. Anyone who drives a car once or talks on a cell phone will never return to the cart and the wired phone.
The second factor pushing authoritarian regimes to create an image of an external enemy is the desire to unite the people around themselves. This is an ancient technique known to our cave ancestors. Create an external enemy, and yesterday’s opponents within the tribe will immediately unite to face a common threat together. In a moment of danger, people instinctively reach out to each other, stand shoulder to shoulder more closely and entrust their fate to a strong, charismatic leader who can lead them to victory. An old trick. And loyal. Therefore, all authoritarian regimes always have external enemies. The attention of the people should be turned to the enemy. When there is not enough external threat, the enemy is simply invented, and propaganda inflates this image. In extreme cases, there is a common internal enemy, for example, witches, traitors-Trotskyists, Jews, oligarchs and so on. All for the sake of instilling fear and the need for unity.
Therefore, when the propaganda machine of authoritarian regimes claims that there are only enemies around who want to bring your country to its knees and destroy its traditional foundations, look at the world with different eyes, compare the facts and draw your own conclusion.
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