Stein Ringen, statsviter og sosiolog og mangeårig professor ved University of Oxford, har skrevet en glimrende bok om dagens Kina - "The Perfect Dictatorship. China in the 21st Century". Der andre nøler med å sette navn på det de ser, eller burde ha sett, gjør Ringen nettopp det.
Boken har høstet stor internasjonal anerkjennelse. "There is no lack of scholars and pundits abroad who tell us that the dictatorship in China is for the common good," skriver Frank Dikötter, nederlandsk historiker og sinolog, kjent for sine mursteinstykke bøker om Kina. "In a timely and engaging written book, Stein Ringen systematically demolishes all the comments of this claim."
Den amerikanske sinologen Edward Friedman tilføyer: "This is an excellent book which asks important questions about China's future. In a lively and persuasive manner, the author vividly analyses key data in a comparative and theoretical manner. Far and away the best introduction to how the CCP dictatorship works."
Boken kan naturligvis kjøpes på amazon.com. Se også nettsidenthechinesestate.com, hvor Ringen forteller mer om boken. Her et kort utdrag fra den:
"The Chinese state is the most sophisticated dictatorship ever, so smooth in its operation that it often does not even look dictatorial to many Chinese. It is so smooth that it is possible for many outside observers to pretend that the regime is only mildly authoritarian with some unfortunate blemishes. But it is still a dictatorship, and like all dictatorships an ugly form of rule. Beneath the surface of sophisticated control, this like other dictatorships depends on brute violence and on instilling fear into the souls of its people. If you oppose the dictatorship, you are in danger not only of being thrown into jail but also of suffering physical damage. If you think of opposing the dictatorship, you need to recon with the risk that you will be beaten up."
Boken har høstet stor internasjonal anerkjennelse. "There is no lack of scholars and pundits abroad who tell us that the dictatorship in China is for the common good," skriver Frank Dikötter, nederlandsk historiker og sinolog, kjent for sine mursteinstykke bøker om Kina. "In a timely and engaging written book, Stein Ringen systematically demolishes all the comments of this claim."
Den amerikanske sinologen Edward Friedman tilføyer: "This is an excellent book which asks important questions about China's future. In a lively and persuasive manner, the author vividly analyses key data in a comparative and theoretical manner. Far and away the best introduction to how the CCP dictatorship works."
Boken kan naturligvis kjøpes på amazon.com. Se også nettsidenthechinesestate.com, hvor Ringen forteller mer om boken. Her et kort utdrag fra den:
"The Chinese state is the most sophisticated dictatorship ever, so smooth in its operation that it often does not even look dictatorial to many Chinese. It is so smooth that it is possible for many outside observers to pretend that the regime is only mildly authoritarian with some unfortunate blemishes. But it is still a dictatorship, and like all dictatorships an ugly form of rule. Beneath the surface of sophisticated control, this like other dictatorships depends on brute violence and on instilling fear into the souls of its people. If you oppose the dictatorship, you are in danger not only of being thrown into jail but also of suffering physical damage. If you think of opposing the dictatorship, you need to recon with the risk that you will be beaten up."
