China today is ruled by a party-state totalitarian dictatorship. That is the conclusion of Stein Ringen’s thoughtful and careful analysis in his new bookThe Perfect Dictatorship. It is a conclusion that will be unpopular and challenged in Asian and other world capitals, where it is a strongly held belief (or hope) that China’s government is a “normal”, traditional authoritarian regime and can be dealt with accordingly.
Ringen, a Norwegian political scientist, emeritus professor at Oxford University, and the author of several books on state analysis, including an important work on South Korean political and social policy, collaborated with unnamed Chinese colleagues and friends in presenting what he calls a dissection of “a system that is unlike any other, a dictatorship that works to perfection.” Those Chinese informants are unnamed, he explains, because his conclusions “are critical of the Chinese model”, and therefore it “is not necessarily in the interest of Chinese friends that I associate them with this book.” Read more
Ringen, a Norwegian political scientist, emeritus professor at Oxford University, and the author of several books on state analysis, including an important work on South Korean political and social policy, collaborated with unnamed Chinese colleagues and friends in presenting what he calls a dissection of “a system that is unlike any other, a dictatorship that works to perfection.” Those Chinese informants are unnamed, he explains, because his conclusions “are critical of the Chinese model”, and therefore it “is not necessarily in the interest of Chinese friends that I associate them with this book.” Read more
