I have always liked the idea of mapping tenuous political situations. I feel like the addition of geography gives a nuance that raw statistics cannot. The latest entry is a Google map displaying factors in Zimbabwe’s ‘rigged’ elections, created by Zimbabwe Election Watch.

[via Google Maps Mania]

So the other day I referred briefly to the new idea of decoupling. It never really gained any traction with me, and to be truthful I am not really sure how it gained traction with anybody.

How would it be possible to have a global, integrated economy and trading network where effects do not propagate. One might say that if there are multiple strong economies the failure of one might be mitigated by the others. As it is, the Asian and European markets are suffering from the changing fortunes of their American partners. This should not at all be unexpected. In fact, it is a classic social contagion problem.
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It is thought that one of the defining features of a functioning democratic system is the ability of people to freely form groups to represent their interests. In China, this has traditionally not been the case. Typically the Chinese government has feared the disturbances that civil society groups might cause - or the challenge that it might pose to official policy or orthodoxy. The Wall Street Journal just ran an article about Ma Chen and her efforts to start a school for autistic children, an effort that she has undertaken without state sanction:

The outcome has important implications for China. Independent centers of power, such as charities and advocacy groups, have begun popping up here in response to social problems. Beijing is gradually permitting nongovernmental organizations, but it restricts their scope. The country’s leadership worries that too much civil society could stir up conflict, challenge its grip and put at risk the stability that has underpinned 25 years of fast economic growth.

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