Crash and Burn
For years, the Beijing regime has stayed in power using a basic bargain with its citizens: Tolerate our authoritarian rule and we'll make you rich. And for years, this seemed to work, leading many China-watchers (myself included) to conclude that Beijing was rising into great-power status. But as the financial crisis shows, that bargain rests on weak foundations. And if Beijing breaks its end of the deal, its people, already holding rising numbers of ... Full Story »
Posted by Kaizar Campwala
I spent the academic year 1988-89 in China, leaving shortly after June, 1989, and the description of dissatisfaction feels very familiar. Nearly everyone I spoke with wanted me to find a way that they could come to the U.S. The situation was very different when I returned in `1995 and 1997.