cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/29808623
[This is an opinionated piece by Fingar, Oksenberg-Rohlen Distinguished Fellow at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and the former Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis.]
As a long-time China scholar, and as I watch the early days of the Trump presidency, I cannot help but be reminded of the Chinese Communist Party’s assertion in the 1970s that everything Mao said or did was correct and beyond challenge. Donald Trump’s wrecking-ball approach to government reform is indeed reminiscent of Mao Zedong’s misguided attempt to achieve “better, faster, cheaper” results through ex cathedra pronouncements, disparagement of experts and bureaucratic procedures, and the dismantling the institutions of government. Mao’s denunciation of professionals and political opponents for the vague sins of “rightism” and “bureaucratism” seemingly provide the template for Trump’s crusade against the so-called radical left and “wokeism.” The Chinese Communist Party’s slavish endorsement of Mao’s assertions—that government institutions, public servants, and policies were corrupt because they did not conform to his vision for the country—resulted in prolonged and deep deterioration of government services, quality of life, and national security in China.
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