Sharansky & Rice
The town square test
In January 2005 George W. Bush gave over a large part of his Second Inaugural Address as President of the United
States of America to a call for the promotion of freedom, liberty, and democracy in the world.
In this same month, and in association with this Address, he recommended "The Case for Democracy," a
work by the former Russian dissident and now prominent Israeli politician Natan Sharansky, as a must-read
for those who want to grasp his own world view.
President Bush's nomination for the post of secretary of state, Condoleezza
Rice, herself a Russian specialist, has done just that - and indeed
quoted Mr Sharansky during her Senate confirmation hearings later in January 2005.
"The world," she said, "should apply what Natan Sharansky calls
the 'town square test'."
"If a person can walk into the middle of the town square and
express his or her views without fear of arrest, imprisonment, or
physical harm, then that person is living in a free society, not a
fear society. We cannot rest until every person living in a 'fear'
society has finally won their freedom."
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![[town square test]](sharansky.gif)