By María Isabel Puerta Riera Originally published in Spanish by Diálogo Político on 05/10/2022 Democracy with Chinese Characteristics? Some question the notion of a 'crisis of democracy' in large part over debates about the threshold used to characterize democracy. Nonetheless, most of us can agree on some minimum baseline that includes the election of representatives combined with... Continue Reading →
A review of Never Turn Back: China and the Forbidden History of the 1980s by Julian Gewirtz from Harvard University Press. Review by Justin Kempf Zhao Ziyang I will admit that I never gave Zhao Ziyang much thought. He comes across as a supporting character without significant influence for China's history or politics. Deng Xiaoping... Continue Reading →
by Christopher Walker The "China Challenge" As China’s ruling Communist Party prepares to start its five-yearly congress beginning on October 16 - and with Xi Jinping set to complete his elevation to uncontested paramount leader - it is a fitting moment to consider the ways China’s global influence has evolved over Xi’s rule. It is also... Continue Reading →
Frank Dikötter is the author of three books about China under Mao called the People’s Trilogy. He is currently the Chair Professor of Humanities at the University of Hong Kong. His latest book is China After Mao: The Rise of a Superpower. Become a Patron! Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. This is... Continue Reading →
Sarah Cook is the Research Director for China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan at Freedom House. She also directs their China Media Bulletin and authored the executive summary of this latest report, "Beijing's Global Media Influence 2022: Authoritarian Expansion and the Power of Democratic Resilience." Become a Patron! Preorder the new book Trafficking Data: How... Continue Reading →
Become a Patron! Order Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way's Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism. Available for sale this week. Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Central Asia Wants to Link its Future to China The latest Economist reports renewed interest in the construction of new rail lines in Central Asia. The... Continue Reading →
Become a Patron! Order Dan Slater and Joseph Wong's From Development to Democracy: The Transformations of Modern Asia. Available for sale this week. Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. How Sharp is Chinese Sharp Power? The latest report from Freedom House exposes efforts from China to shape international media narratives through political and economic clout.... Continue Reading →
Become a Patron! Preorder Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way's Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism here. Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Can Other Countries Replicate the China Model? In this week's podcast, Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way refer to China as among the most notable revolutionary regimes. They argue its revolutionary... Continue Reading →
Become a Patron! Sharp Power vs Soft Power For decades American culture was omnipresent around the globe. Americans exported their values and ideas through music, movies, and other forms of popular culture. Joseph Nye described this phenomenon as soft power. He believed the appeal of American ideas translated through its culture gave the United States... Continue Reading →
Become a Patron! The Globalization of Surveillance Capitalism When Shoshana Zuboff wrote the acclaimed book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, she described the internet in dystopian terms. Tech corporations had gained immense powers over their users through almost limitless sums of data gathered from them. In many ways, Zuboff flipped the traditional dystopian themes of totalitarian... Continue Reading →
