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> The theory is that including these countries sets up the correct incentives for liberalization, and that liberal markets beget a middle clas s which eventuall
by defen 8y ago
> The theory is that including these countries sets up the correct incentives for liberalization, and that liberal markets beget a middle clas s which eventually demands democratic voice. And democracies are western-friendly.
That was supposed to be the plan, but the Chinese government didn't blink in 1989, when the demand for democracy happened. And they suffered no consequence for it. In retrospect that is when we should have realized that the script wasn't going to work.
- throwawayjava 8y agoAs I indicated in my post, you'll find no disagreement here. It's just one consistent worldview that answers rayiner's question.
- defen 8y agoRight, I agree that it's a good high-level assessment of US geopolitical strategy. Was just offering an idea of when we possibly should have realized it wasn't going to work on China.