Comments
  1. You must read the article before you can comment on it.
    • aussak3 years ago

      Not in total agreement with the author's position - I think many previous admins, both republic and democrat, have chosen either soft power or indirect challenges. I believe Trump, while challenging China head on, has given more power to China's methods by acknowledging them as the large problem that they are.

      What I did find very through provoking about this piece was another issue: the way the author describes Realism vs Institutionalism: "that the state remains the irreplaceable agent of international power and effective action, that international institutions have limited capacity to transform the behavior and preferences of states." I have always considered myself an institutionalsit (from my freshman year of college, and maybe even before that through high school Model UN) but I think what I've actually been, upon reflecting on this quote, is an aspirational institutionalist who is actually, when push comes to shove, a realist.

      • BillEnkey3 years ago

        I've never understood politics; partially because the passive aggressive seems to me to ever be the central power struggle. Whoever can be the most aggressive in the most passive way wins. Not a fan; I'd rather have a straight conversation. Then again, it might be better for verbal arguments between global politicians than all out physical wars.

    • BillEnkey3 years ago

      " ... and by extension the Chinese Communist Party, control over communications infrastructure and sensitive personal data." This does not appear to work with the rest of the article, but seems to be a jab at something else. I'm okay with that though, it's an interesting thought. I'm not going to try and argue right or wrong on this one, that debate has gone on and will go on for some time. However, the reality that we have to deal with is that the perspective and methodologies of China's government, and indeed many of its people, is simply different. For many they cannot understand why the government would NOT know every personal detail of their lives; why the government would NOT have spy programs and listening software in personal electronic devices; and they ARE okay with that. This juxtaposed to how many Western cultures tend to think. Obviously there is a difference here; and something that certainly needs to be considered before making decisions too hastily.

      1. Update (4/18/2020):

        That and if they are able to get more of their electronics into more of the world, out patent system might just go the way of the Dodo.

    • kurpels3 years ago

      I disagree with the president all of the time. That doesn’t mean there are not people in the world who are far worse, which seems strange to say...since he’s terrible.

    • jeff3 years ago

      I think the author makes a lot of good points. Of course Trump is at fault for alienating would-be allies on this issue but it doesn't mean that every assertion made by his administration should be categorically dismissed. I used to think that increased access to the internet would be a much stronger driver against authoritarian regimes and it's been eye opening and disturbing to see how the Chinese government has instead censored it and leveraged it to their advantage.

      • Karenz3 years ago

        This article was an eye opener for me. I detest Trump but there were salient points made in this article that gave me pause and made me think. That’s what I LOVE about Readup. It exposes me to ideas and information I’d likely not otherwise encounter. I think we should trust the Chinese government about as much as North Korea’s.

      • jbuchana3 years ago

        I do dislike Trump, but no one is wrong about everything. China should probably not be trusted to do anything that's not in their best interest.

    • sjwoo3 years ago

      Yes, China is bad. They've been bad for a long while.

      The problem is, Trump is just as bad. And now, because the two superpowers of this planet are both pretty terrible, even worse things are happening.

      I certainly have no panacea for this. So somebody a lot smarter than Trump needs to take this on.

      • mattdemon3 years ago

        Agreed. Trump arrives at his conclusions through racism and ignorance. He does not hate China for their policies—he hates China because they are Chinese.

    • ChetD3 years ago

      Agree with many of the points made in the article about China’s attempts to gain international leverage by using international bodies to do their bidding while not contributing nearly as much as the US.

      Many had naively hoped that increased overseas trade would open up China in many areas and move them further towards the democratic capitalistic model. Well we can see CCP has not let that happen. The Great Wall of internet censorship is just one example of CCP exerting their control on the populace. Another is their unabashed having of Western companies for IP mining using the People’s Red Army operations.

      1. Update (4/14/2020):

        having > hacking

    • jbuchana3 years ago

      Something to think about. Even thinking about it, I distrust Trump and his cronies.

    • [user]3 years ago

      This comment was deleted on 4/8/2020