There is a technique among govt workers in which a policy that could not see the light of day in USA is promulgated in other regimes, so many that the USA alone becomes the odd man out. Getting other regimes to adopt a policy is easy since they are mere satrapies run by cohorts from our elite schools. Given that the US Supreme Court predilections and obligations built into various international agreements rather assure USA will eventually adopt the policies, and the technique is so common, there is a term for it: policy laundering.
A perfect example is ACTA, having to do with intellectual property rights. If you have the fortitude to slog through the technical arguments, you'll see why it is a bad idea. If you have the fortitude to slog through, you'll see why in spite of the principled, important, cogent, germaine, logical arguments against ACTA, it just will not matter what the experts think, ACTA is a done deal.
Places like Hong Kong will find themselves harmed adopting policies designed to lock down USA. All we can hope is Hong Kong is just kidding... they agree to ACTA, but will never enforce it.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Policy Laundering
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2 comments:
HI John, you lived in Hong Kong... How was it? do you feel the presence of govt there?
The astonishing thing is how little anyone talks about government in Hong Kong... it is like USA circa 1840, when govt was negligible and anyone doing anything was in business... in Hong Kong, all talk is all business.
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