Um artigo notável na revista Far Eastern Economic Review (Dezembro, 2009) que, ainda, não tinha tido oportunidade de assinalar.

Extractos para abrir o apetite.

“The real lesson drawn by the CCP from the events of 1989 was much more far-reaching: In order to survive and keep power, the Party concluded, it needed to adapt and respond to social change. Unceasingly.

“By following this principle, the CCP has become what could be best described as the first Darwinian Leninist Party in history, one that sees constant adaptation as the key to survival. This goes a long way towards explaining why the Party has introduced wide ranging reforms that, at first sight, would seem to undermine its rule.

“All these were demands that the Party calculated that it could and needed to accede to since they didn’t threaten the CCP’s fundamental monopoly on power.

“This also explains why many Chinese intellectuals have accepted being co-opted by the regime. The unspoken compact between China’s intelligentsia and the CCP is that so long as they remain loyal to the system they have a chance to speak behind closed doors and even influence policy. The Central Party School can now discuss any topic under the sun. This is a pragmatic policy to help the Party avoid ideological blindspots or information gaps that could lead to damaging surprises. This is also why, to the surprise of many first-time Western visitors and journalists, students and urban citizens often profess to be supportive of Party rule. If things keep getting better, why rock the boat?

“Every week brings its list of sentenced activists and whistle-blowers from the four corners of the country: lawyers, petitioners, farmers, environmentalists, NGO activists, dissidents. None pose a threat to state security, but all create risks for the Party. Letting citizens expose the truth could ultimately unravel the whole system. So the Darwinian instincts kick in, which leads some anti-corruption activists to prison and others to continue writing for prestigious publications. The Party has to let a little daylight in, but not too much.

“Yet the system might be starting to show its limits.”

A ler aqui os limites no artigo integral.