The recent electoral results from Germany’s Länder interweave short-term concerns and long-term challenges, and these challenges extend to China, which is facing the choices Germany made a century ago. The immediate implications of the Saxony and Thuringia elections—precisely the success of the AfD and BSW—are compounded by the complex nature of local government coalitions. The […]
Empire and Christianity: No Water for Pilate’s Hands
The history of Jesus is also that of walking a very fine line—a radical critique of the Roman imperial order (intertwining religious and political power) without aiming to topple or replace the Empire. Jesus contrasts the deification of the emperor with the presence of God in a marginal Jewish “prophet’s” everyday life. The two can […]
Corner Putin, Agent of Chaos
The Russian president’s trip to North Korea alters global calculations, spreading instability worldwide. Even China may now be interested in distancing itself from him Shortly after establishing the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on October 1st, 1949, China entered one of its most controversial historical periods. PRC leader Mao Zedong planned to attack Taiwan, where […]
China’s Rise, Missed Opportunities, Knots and Western New Nationalism
Whether peaceful or not, a country’s rise is based on being prepared and seizing opportunities. It is something China has missed in the past 20 years. Now, it faces the prospect that its rise will not be peaceful and could fail altogether if significant changes are not made. It’s not Xi Jinping’s fault; he alone […]
‘Collapse of the rites and music’ in the international order
Editor: We cannot ignore that the US is now preparing for war. (we republish the interesting essay by Zheng Yongnian translated by David Kelly https://policycn.com/) To maintain its hegemony, it is making deployments in the Indo-Pacific region, actively shaping China’s surrounding environment, and intends to contain the PRC’s rise. But does that mean war will […]
Trade War over China
A trade war is looming. It could be the largest since the start of post-Cold War globalization and potentially one of the largest ever. The waste in its wake could far outstrip the devastation of ongoing conflicts in Ukraine or the Middle East and could change the planet forever, starting a second Cold War. On […]