When they call themselves “communists” – trust them

You have a great opportunity to hear about modern-day (and still communist) China from a highly credible source.

Back in the 1970s, there were countless “Sovietologists.” Among them, very few did not view the uncritical defense of the USSR and socialism as a scientific duty and a mark of objectivity. Among very few exceptions was Richard Pipes. He predicted the possible collapse of the USSR precisely for the reasons that most Sovietologists believed the communist empire was unbreakable.

However, it should be noted that, later in life, Pipes was mistaken about China. He believed that communism had essentially disappeared there and that the country was on the path to democratic transformation. We, I should add, challenged this misconception as early as 2009.

Among today’s China specialists who refuse to whitewash or gloss over the realities of the regime is the distinguished historian and author of hard-hitting books on Chinese communism, Frank Dikötter. He is currently a research fellow at the prestigious Hoover Institution in the USA.

An interview with him from the series Uncommon Knowledge lasts over an hour, but it is well worth your time.

For deeper insights into contemporary China and its prospects, check out our lecture on China from our short course Business Climate & Economic Institutions Quality.

For more details or to attend the lecture, contact: 📧 mosheya@jct.ac.il | yanovskiy.moshe@gmail.com