But is it right Mr Zakaria's case rests on three claims: that democracy and liberty are not the same; that policymakers and the public overlook institutions and patterns of behaviour that embody liberty, while exaggerating the virtues of those that build democracy; and most important that democracy has spread so far that it is now eroding liberty.On the first point, he is obviously correct.
His critical expositions range from American exceptionalism to the use of torture, the war on terror and the devil's bargain by which the state offers safety by eroding liberties; and from there to number theory, the personal afterlife and much else.
The President could convince Congress to enact new surveillance standards that erode civil liberties but fail to end attacks.
Critics say the changes would erode civil liberties and jeopardize Germany's hard-won rule of law.
At a news conference, the coalition released a petition calling on the administration "to consider proposals calmly and deliberately with a determination not to erode the liberties and freedoms that are at the core of the American way of life".
The coalition stressed what, in a statement, it called the "need to consider proposals calmly and deliberately with a determination not to erode the liberties and freedoms that are at the core of the American way of life".
All worried that the proposed laws would erode the liberties that still distinguish Hong Kong from the mainland, even if only by creating a climate of self-censorship and fear.The government made matters worse by leaving the task of explaining its plans mostly to Regina Ip, Hong Kong's security secretary.
It proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that all of the "extreme measures" -- like warrantless wiretapping, ridiculous and intrusive random airport screenings, ubiquitous security cameras, secret prisons and willingness to torture -- have done nothing but drain America's economy, sully the nation's global reputation and erode civil liberties.
Yet the 13-year experiment showed how easily a ban could distort and corrupt law enforcement, encourage the emergence of gangs and the spread of crime, erode civil liberties, and endanger public health by making it impossible to regulate the quality of a widely consumed product.
Although there is broad agreement that change is inevitable, the possibility that the new rules could erode civil liberties has already prompted critics to complain that some suggestions, like a domestic security agency with sweeping powers to spy on people in the United States, could bring about the same abuses that the old rules were devised to eliminate.
