Quick Abacus

‘Democracy’ is a word made from the Greek words ‘demos’ and ‘cratein’, ‘the people’ and ‘to rule’, meaning that the people should rule. The Greek philosopher Polybios believed that forms of government follow each other and develop out of each other in a cyclic pattern.

Looking at the American experiment today, it seems that Polybios had a point. We seem to be at the point where the rule of a legitimate elite (the best) has turned into the rule of the worst and we are headed toward mob rule again, all the while officially calling our system “democratic”.

Recently, I had an opportunity to listen to a presentation by Ms. Krone Schmalz, a German Putin enthusiast, who attempted to defend Putin’s war against Ukraine. Ms. Schmalz, as do many Pro-Russia people in Europe and the USA, did not say that she condoned Putin’s war of aggression. She did say, however, that we must “understand” where Putin is coming from and what his psychological and political motives are that motivated him to attack Ukraine. I have heard this from many people who listen to Russian TV and TicToc. Goebbels said that for propaganda to be credible, one must mix lies with truth and make the mixture sound plausible and reasonable. The way Ms. Schmalz sounded, she could be a Russian disinformation propagandist. But let me assume for the moment that she is not and that she really means what she says.