Peace broke out last week after a protracted and costly war in the horn of Africa between erstwhile comrades. Ethnic differences, blown out of proportion by politicians, exploded and cost many lives. Now, reason has prevailed. An Agreement signed under the auspices of the African Union commits both parties to the recognition and resolution of political problems through political means. Both parties also undertook to respect the constitutional rule and territorial integrity of Ethiopia.

It is of course, not the first time Africa has taken a regional approach to resolve bilateral problems. At the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, the Ambassador of Kenya, speaking for Africa, appealed in vain for a reasoned resolution to the conflict and reminded that Africa has a long-standing commitment to respect for territorial integrity and the self-determination of peoples.

 
And what does that have to do with me?

Midterm elections may be the foremost issue in American minds despite a worldwide tendency towards apathy toward increasingly complex political structures. And so it was at the end of the Roman Republic when active participation and involvement by citizens made way for Imperial rule that rewarded obedience with bread and spectacles. By buying votes and popular support through bread and spectacles, much as internal and international votes are now being bought by grain shipments, public facilities, and pork barrel politics.

 
The issue is that of individual freedom, freedom of choice. A commentator recently pointed out that Ukrainians always had elected leaders and preferred freedom of choice, while Russians choose political stability. The same pertains to other flashpoints in the international political structure. Limiting electoral freedom through corruption, gerrymandering, or intimidation is a first step to imperialism, to Czardom, to rule by force and destruction.

A political system, whether internal or international, implies a respect for rules, structures, and for the rights of others. The alternative is the law of the jungle, red in tooth and claw, based on the power of the Emperor, Czar, King, or Chairman to bomb people into submission. The law of officials who demand respect and obedience instead of serving citizens.

Five centuries of experimentation since the Renaissance taught that the chaos and anarchy of free economies and polities are the basis of economic, technological, and social renewal. In subservient societies, oppressed by laws and ruled by command, economies cannot create new wealth. Innovation depends on the freedom to make mistakes, break established patterns, and overthrow paradigms. 

The conflict between imperialist politics that seek to limit political and economic freedom, the rights of citizens to express themselves, and the right to be different and to excel at what they do is doomed to stagnation in the long run. Yet there seems to be a swing back to the security that fascist systems offer: A strong leader, perhaps claiming to be sent by God, to think for us - Vote for me, I alone can fix things.

That is the issue: think for yourself, or let someone think for you.

You should worry.