President Chavez and PM Putin are “enjoying a burgeoning friendship,” finding common ground in their oppression of dissidents and the violent crime ruling their cities. ++ Their regimes do little to tackle the pervasive murder of political objectors and journalists; instead, the citizenry is faced with “a leviathan cloaked in the misappropriated vocabulary of democracy.”
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For China’s strategic and economic interests it is crucial to maintain a good image, otherwise counter-alliances are likely. ++ Nonetheless, the ruling elite is not willing to establish a constitutional state to replace the “socialist constitutional state.” ++ As a consequence, the police tortures with impunity, and opponents of the Communist party are thrown into prison or psychiatric
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