In The Long Run Their Struggle Will Be Hopeless

Martin Van Creveld is discussing (from a 1996 article) the fate of the state:

Finally, the unprecedented development of electronic information services seems to mark another step toward the coming collapse of the state. Traditionally no state has ever been able to completely control the thoughts of all its citizens; to the credit of the more liberally-minded among them, it must be added that they never even tried. Though the invention of print greatly increased the amount of information that could be produced, the ability to move that information across international borders remained limited by the need to physically transport paper, as well as by language barriers. The first of these problems was solved by the invention of radio. The introduction of television, which relies on pictures instead of words, to a large extent eliminated the second. During the 1980s cable and satellite TV, as well as videotape, became widely available and capable of providing near-instant coverage of events on a global scale. With the advent of computer networks and the consequent democratization of access to information, the battle between freedom and control was irretrievably lost by the latter, much to the regret of numerous governments.

Though the role of the various information services in the collapse of the former Eastern Bloc cannot be measured, it was certainly very large.[24] Indeed, even as these lines are being written, the future of Russia and its fellow republics of the Commonwealth of Independent States will be determined partly by the way the media will represent developments inside them. Conversely, states such as China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia are imitating the late East Germany, doing what they can to prevent their populations from being corrupted by these developments. The social, economic, and technological price that these states pay for their self-enforced isolation is considerable. In the long run, their struggle almost certainly will be hopeless.

That is our enemy's weakness. The corrupting effect of knowledge, information and Britney Spears's crotch. Which is why the distribution of more Electricity every where around the world is so critical. A Neighborhood Development Package could help.

The Godly can not withstand good old American corruption. An environment Americans are used to if not exactly comfortable with. Not to mention Page 3 Girls for my Brit friends. BTW if you actually go to page 3 you are on your own. May not be work safe. The link provided is work safe. Generally.

Pamela the cutie from Atlas Shrugs has a nice bit about blogging for democracy.