15 Comments
User's avatar
CultivatingMan's avatar

I don't believe the CIA is "woke". I tend to agree with Glenn Greenwald that that this is merely deflection to allow their continued assault upon democracy around the world. They, obviously, don't give a whit about civil rights or gender identity but they do care very much about maintaining power and this bow to the woke helps them do so.

The woke in this country are very good at ignoring what really matters in order to publicly preen.

Expand full comment
H. M. Brough's avatar

It’s very interesting that everybody, across countries and ideologies, always assumes (without evidence) that their political enemies are cynical powermongers.

Expand full comment
E Robertson's avatar

You imply there's no evidence the CIA are cynical power-mongers (at the top)--a view that doesn't survive a bit of honest investigation.

Expand full comment
Spencer's avatar

When I posted this article, a Facebook friend responded:

I'm sorry, but I don't take anyone seriously who says this: "For example, Iran has actual elections that determine who gets in power and have legitimate consequences for economic and foreign policy, even though many candidates are disqualified from running." The last Iranian election that remotely resembles what he says was the one in 2009, which the regime lost, and then brutally suppressed, jailed and tortured the protestors. All "elections" since present the same ideological diversity as the ones held in N. Korea. ALL power is in the hands of the Mullahs and the Revolutionary Guard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Iranian_presidential_election

Expand full comment
Andreas's avatar

You are clearly showing your bias here... while I like reading your articles, because they are quite often heterodox, it seems that here you are just feeding "red meat" to the right-wing populists, especially in the US.

Expand full comment
Herostratos's avatar

Not surprised that Freedom House is a woke GONGO - a Government Organized Non-Governmentqaal Orgqanisation, in other words. If democracy means anything at it's core it's the rule of the demos, ie the rule of the people, and the particular ideology that the people chooses for itäs society has nothing to do with the core concepot of democracy.

By Freedom House's evaluation, ancient Greece would probably score around 5 even though it was to a large extent much more democratic than many western countries are today, which have become more and more a kind of oligarchies where an unremovable elite rules with thinly veiled contempt for the opinions of the demos.

Expand full comment
Gabe's avatar

Very curious sir. How do thinktanks get funding? Does the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology receive money from wealthy donors who have an intellectual interest in your study? Do you receive any grants?

Expand full comment
Jules's avatar

That's what Trump meant by "the Deep State." These bozos will now recruit CIA agents that are even woker than ever with such an ad. Some said the ad was just the CIA trying to adapt to the times and attract the youths; no, it's just pinkos within the CIA who want to recruit more of their ilk, because conservatives will be mostly put off by that nonsense.

I think it's high time the American Right quit its worship of its federal security agencies. They ain't on your side! And they should be treated like any other federal agency, i.e. in dire need of some shrinking and some defunding, if not outright abolition.

Expand full comment
Faysal's avatar

FH measure civil and political liberties, not just electoral democracy. This explains why 1) restrictions on either are penalized (though perhaps not with enough consistency) and 2) Why Iran would score lower than Oman for example. Those are not the only valuable measures of a country, true, and the methodology is always going to be a bit subjective but it’s not a free for all. I have done a bit of work with them - they’re not perfect but I don’t see them as a woke institution run amok.

Expand full comment
Jules's avatar

So substracting points for LGBT and labor union but not for hate speech codes is not left-wing? They're clearly a left-wing organization, face the music, and are in dire need of defunding. Let some rich liberal schmoe fund it with his own money.

Expand full comment
Faysal's avatar

I agree that points should be subtracted for hate speech codes (here and everywhere), and that FH methodology is not perfect. I also agree that on the whole, these types of organizations attract people who are liberal (though I also think Woke Liberal is a specific type liberal) just as most such elite organizations do. I just think this portrayal above is missing some basic points about the organization and its mandate. Doesn't mean its all incorrect.

Expand full comment
wep's avatar

Are you really "Jules" or just using that name for fun? France has extremely strict hate speech codes, but is probably the least woke country in Europe going by the standards of their press culture.

Expand full comment
H. M. Brough's avatar

Excellent writeup. I myself grew skeptical of these kinds of reports after seeing their slanderous commentary on India (which I contend has issues, but then you have V-Dem saying it’s an “autocracy” comparable in freedom to the military junta next door.)

I am not surprised they attack Poland and Hungary as well, this whole democracy promotion thing is an exercise in ideology rather than anything else.

Expand full comment
Jules's avatar

The "civil liberties" people have obviously nothing to say about heavy-handed lockdown policies from Covid.

Expand full comment
Jules's avatar

Tucker should bring this up and shed some sunlight on these bastards.

Expand full comment