Having spent the past year in the United States, hoping to find a crowd of 500,000 or so willing to demonstrate against an incompetent government that has abused its power and authority on the world stage, it is inspiring to be back in Hong Kong. Here, it seems, although universal suffrage remains an elusive goal, people still believe they can make a difference when their supposed representatives get things wrong. In contrast, Americans are giving up the democratic art of protest at the same time that they are giving in to the Bush administration. They should look east for a lesson in democratic practice.
But Americans are not inclined to look elsewhere for models. It has become their mission to spread their version of democracy around the globe. Thus, it is unlikely that they will turn an eye towards Hong Kong for pointers. This is a shame, because there is a great deal they could learn.
If you think Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa is unpopular, consider President George W. Bush. Mr Tung's travails are little known outside the region, but Mr Bush is reviled the world over - especially, as a result of the Iraq debacle, in the Middle East, the area he purports to want to save as an apostle of American democracy.
Americans themselves have turned against Mr Bush's recklessness in the Middle East. There was a moment, at the height of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, when Mr Bush's approval ratings in the US rivalled those of Mr Tung in Hong Kong.
But did Americans take to the streets to express their disappointment and displeasure? Other than a few people blocking traffic in my home town, I saw no evidence of this. And certainly in the past year, the US has witnessed nothing remotely close to the scale of the July 1 outpouring in Hong Kong.
One might argue that the future of democracy is at stake in Hong Kong, so it is no wonder that people are upset. But is not something of at least equal importance at stake in America? Mr Bush maintains that the future of democracy in the Middle East rests with the occupation of Iraq. That dubious notion, however, has already cost far too many lives and will no doubt cost many more. What is really at risk is America's reputation as a world leader.
