Kissinger (and Weigel) on PRChina (and the USA)

Weigel reviewed Kissinger's book on PRChina. I'm not a Henry-fan; Weigel places a disclaimer early in the review, too. But there are some elements which are worth re-posting.

...Kissinger’s analysis of Chinese history has been criticized, as has his reticence about evils like the massacres at Tiananmen Square. But his conclusion—that China’s future depends on the resolution of the conflict between those of its leaders who want to maintain totalitarian political control at all costs and those who want to complete the country’s remarkable economic development with a genuine opening toward democratic governance—strikes me as a fair summary of the situation. And it should give no comfort to the China-is-inevitably-Number-One crowd. A country that conflicted about its political future is an unlikely contender for world supremacy.

Well, duh. A friend of mine who has a number of contacts inside PRChina would confirm that, at the very least, provincial leadership has a "screw 'em" outlook on the Beijing bunch. That, of course, presents a few problems for business-types; if you decide to put a factory in XYZ Province, whose rules do you really have to follow? Beijing's? The Province's? Both? Are you SURE?

But Weigel makes observations which are pertinent here, too, while discussing potential Vatican-to-PRChina diplomatic moves.

The current regime cannot be trusted to keep its word.

Hmmm. Sounds very familiar, indeed.

...the Catholic Church has made clear for three decades now that, under modern conditions, democracy is morally superior to other forms of governance, most certainly including totalitarianism...

So much for the faux 'social-justice' crowd here, which definitely prefers totalitarianism.

Weigel wouldn't have to work too hard re-wording the essay to make a case that the US is just as awful a place as is PRChina, both for Catholics and for business.

Maybe that's the most important lesson.