Traditionally, government coups in China have been instigated by peasant revolts. (The Communist takeover in 1949 was the result of a peasant uprising.) From what I have read, the peasants have been more willing to accept corruption, human rights abuses, and other injustices because they were making good money. As long as the money was flowing, the government was not too concerned about revolts from the peasants.
Now the jobs are disappearing, the money is disappearing, and there is nothing to placate people's anger over the hardships in their lives that they attribute to the government. I don't know what is going to happen here. I do know that if there is any instability that arises, we will be evacuated before we are placed in any danger. So I am not concerned for myself. But I am concerned about the lives of the people here.
We are not allowed to talk openly about this here, of course.
May you live in interesting times...
ReplyDeleteWhat's interesting to me as well is the saber rattling from Russia recently.
Last month an old Russian spy satellite "accidentally" hit and destroyed an Iridium satellite phone satellite. Following the Chinese anti-satellite test in 2007, and the U.S. test in 2008, the chances of that being an accident I would put at zero.
This week Canada turned around a Russian bomber that was on an old fashion air space probe not seen since back in the days of the cold war.
In the grand scheme of things, I fear Russia far more then China and I suspect in the end of the day China also fears Russia much more then the U.S. which is what makes our two nations strange partners in an uneasy but inescapable global alliance.
I cannot imagine living somewhere so gagged and bound... it's terrible. The whole world economy is in shambles, what is happening?!
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