The Joys of Autocratic Rule

It must be something in the water in that old Times Square building. One of the few semi-sane Times columnists, Tom Friedman, has joined his editorial colleagues and dropped off the edge as he argues the advantages of autocratic rule while simultaneously holding up China as a model eco-world-citizen.

One-party autocracy certainly has its drawbacks. But when it is led by a reasonably enlightened group of people, as China is today, it can also have great advantages. That one party can just impose the politically difficult but critically important policies needed to move a society forward in the 21st century. It is not an accident that China is committed to overtaking us in electric cars, solar power, energy efficiency, batteries, nuclear power and wind power. China’s leaders understand that in a world of exploding populations and rising emerging-market middle classes, demand for clean power and energy efficiency is going to soar. Beijing wants to make sure that it owns that industry and is ordering the policies to do that, including boosting gasoline prices, from the top down.

The Chinese understand that in a world of Western governments led by eco-loons determined to lead their nations back to the joys of pre-industrial life that Chinese industries can profit by making the overpriced toys they need to make themselves feel better, while the Chinese can get on with building large nuclear and coal plants so they can emerge from their own still largely pre-industrial state.