I tend to be somewhat skeptical of all things international relations. But Professor Minxin Pei is a treasure and a credit to his department. Unlike some other members of his department who seem to think the study of other countries necessitates -- no demands! -- the view that U.S. policy is always and everywhere awful, Pei is a serious scholar who has tough things to say about his area of expertise when occasion calls for it..
His quotations on the anniversary of the Chinese dictatorship bear out his seriousness and his moral clarity. Here are just a few.
In The Associated Press,
"This is not the end of an era," said Minxin Pei, a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College in California. Rather, Pei said, the event continues a strategy deployed since the military crushed the Tiananmen democracy movement in 1989: "a one-party state that uses its economic success to bolster its legitimacy in any way conceivable, including a Soviet-style military parade."
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In the blogosphere:
Some 5,000 goose-stepping troops who rehearsed for as long as a year accompanied the armaments — new unmanned aerial drones, amphibious fighting vehicles and new DH-10 land-based anti-ship cruise missiles.
“I wonder what Chinese leaders are thinking? For more than 15 years they have been denouncing those who call China’s rise a threat. Now they put on this display of military hardware, with goose-stepping soldiers to match. Aren’t they confirming the China Threat?” said Minxin Pei, a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College in California.
--------------------------------------------------------------For those interested in what Professor Pei thinks about the goings on in China, I recommend this interview, worth reading in its entirety.
1 comment:
Once again, Charles, I am severely disappointed in your gross mischaracterization of both the field of international relations, and more egregiously, Professor Haley's views. Had you ever taken a class from him, you would have seen -- as befits a scholar of his stature -- a much more nuanced analysis of American masterstrokes and, yes, missteps in foreign affairs. In no way does Professor Haley believe "that U.S. policy is always and everywhere awful."
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