Tag: Ferdinand Marcos

A Dictator’s Last Straw in Review

Posted on by alexesguerra

Lets review the definition of a “Dictator”, A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a magistrate in the Roman Republic appointed by the Senate to rule the republic in times of emergency. Wikipedia

For intents and purposes of authoritarian regimes, their Presidents and Prime Ministers overthrows their respective Senates and congress by way of arresting them. Unlike in the United States, there are 3 co-equal branches of government hence is why it is called a democratic United States of America.

Some of the most well-known dictators in history include Fidel Castro, Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong-il and Adolf Hitler. One thing all these dictators have in common is that they were able to maintain political power by using violence and propaganda. Dictators often manufacture an external threat in order to gain control over the state and appear as the people’s only salvation. For example, Hitler blamed the Jews for Germany’s problems and justified his actions during the Holocaust by using propaganda aimed at vilifying the Jews. Dictators also use their leadership skills to persuade the masses to believe their agendas. They use censorship to control the flow of information so as to maintain power. Dictators who remain in power usually do so until they are killed or removed through violent opposition.

Dictators use quite a bit of psychological sway to attract the attention of voters. They offer messages of hope and strength during hard times, and emerge confident and hopeful. Some may even create instances mail in voting fraud that does not exist so it is something for us to really be able to be vigilant to see such signs

In 1986, right before the The Philippines EDSA Revolution, Ferdinand Marcos and his family stood in the balcony of the Malacanang Palace waiving and declaring victory a rig and suppress election looking below his supporters with flags and chants. Two days after Filipinos storm the palace for a revolution while the first family fled into exile into Honolulu, Hawaii, Such was that glorious historically scene as the last stand holding to power reminisce of Imelda’s 5,000 pairs of shoe’s and the balcony to Evita Peron’s “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” days.

This is one one the most consequential times that has come fort in the history in the United States of America. As a Asian disabled minority of color, son of a United Stated World War II US Army World II Veteran, grand son of a World War I Veteran we need to vote America.

Alex Esguerra.

Russia’s Tampering – Return of History

Posted on by alexesguerra

With the recent headlines in mind about Vladimir Putin’s maneuvering of the 2016 US Presidential elections reminds me of the book written by bestselling author, Jennifer Welsh

.  return

 The Return of History

Recalling the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 which I personally witness was very much similar to another political change in 1983 in a country like the Philippines when then Philippine President Marcos ended an era under a Martial Law regime by fleeing out the Malacanang Palace en-route to exile in Honolulu, Hawaii.

As author Welsh quoted American political commentator Francis Fukuyama about his famous essay, “The End of History”. The essay depicts the demise between communism and capitalism towards expanding the West Liberal Democracy towards the ideals of “progress”in history. In both of the above events, the breakdown of the wall during the Reagan years signified one of the greatest achievements of the divide between East and West Germany. Growing up in terms of living a couple of teenage years in Germany I can personally testify the mass disparity of income and inequality prior to that historic wall coming down.  At the same watching the news on the developments on the fall of the Marcos regime was very significant to the impoverished society living right at the wall of the Pacific Ocean in Manila.

The book illustrates the traditional barbaric and aristocratic way of a tyrant in this new millennium age by way of Vladimir Putin. The espionage and treason of course is local in Russia but the new cyber way and hacking which was seen in the recent US Presidential elections is a good example. Back in the cold war era it was of course more exemplified by warfare showing off military might. Today’s new tactics on spying, hacking, adware as well as internet viruses and attacks are just some of the most creative way of advance technology led infiltrations.

As Jennifer Welsh writes, ” Another way in which the West could re-examine its recent history and temper its triumphalism would be to look inward and reassess the health of its own political and economic model in this renewed era of competition with Russia”.

Indeed the  Soviet threat in arms takes a turn on a new form with regards to how the West should assess what goes on today and with the recent analysis on how Russia has played it’s cyber attacks during the recent US Presidential elections.

Alex Esguerra

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