Thoughts on Communist Korea and Communist China

I attended two guest lectures recently by Gordon Chang, author of Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes on the World (Random House, 2006), and Minxin Pei, author of China's Trapped Transition: The Limits of Developmental Autocracy (Harvard University Press, 2006). While neither has all the answers, both makes excellent observations in their books and speeches. Now that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has institutionalized brinksmanship, Chang advocates a change in diplomacy--one that combines a reduction in the American nuclear arsenal and applications of all available leverage on the Republic of Korea and Communist China. Now that the People's Republic of China has compartmentalized being classically liberal abroad and positively illiberal at home, Pei advocates critical engagement--one that combines associating and talking to Chinese Communists and being honest enough to criticize them they are paying a price when there is a gap between economic growth for an increasing number of Chinese people and the monopoly of political power in the Chinese Coummunist Party. By the way, the journal Foreign Affairs (July/August 2006) has a review of Pei's book. I recommend both books.