TIANANMEN SQUARE: THE MAKING OF A PROTEST
by Vijay Gokhale
HARPERCOLLINS INDIA
From his vantage point then as a young diplomat at the Indian Embassy in Beijing, Gokhale describes China’s political and geopolitical landscape leading up to the protests, the regime’s response to them and the immediate and long-term implications. In a vividly written and eminently readable account, he gives the reader a glimpse of the China of the 1980s. He particularly breaks down the black box—or perhaps more appropriately, the red box—that is Zhongnanhai (the Chinese leadership complex). Gokhale shows that the Chinese Communist Party leadership was not monolithic, and argues that a power struggle was a—if not the—crucial factor in how the events in 1989 unfolded. He describes the protagonists involved, as well as the dynamics between them. While the book is more an analytical assessment than a memoir, it also offers insight into how foreign officials try to assess and interact with the relatively opaque regime in China.
In addition, the book broaches a contemporary question: why does Beijing do what it does? Gokhale argues that a critical part of the answer lies in the fact that, for all its internal differences, the Chinese Communist Party then and now has one overarching priority—regime preservation—that shapes its domestic and foreign policy thinking. And he outlines how and why the Tiananmen protests only reinforced that instinct. He does not say that the Chinese leadership today is the same (for instance, he argues that over time the ideology driving it has changed from communism to power and money). But he does imply that one cannot fully comprehend it without returning to that moment in 1989.
Esta historia es de la edición June 21, 2021 de India Today.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 21, 2021 de India Today.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Falling Back On Ram
It’s not new from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by ‘Ram bhakt’ Arvind Kejriwal, but worth noting because god is in the details. It was Ram Navami on April 17.
Congress 'EQ' Vs BJP ‘IQ'
Team Modi Is Riding On Its Assembly Poll Momentum, But The Congress's Clever Candidate Mix May Prevent A Washout
The Macallan M 2023 debuts in India
Standing as a pinnacle of exclusivity, The Macallan M 2023 graces the shores of India with limited 10 handpicked bottles for whisky aficionados
Give it up for the science bros
They've got brains, brawn and billions in the bank. A new breed of wellness guru is doing for men what Gwyneth Paltrow did for women.
LIVING BY THE RULES
Chetan Bhagat returns to non-fiction with his new book-11 Rules for Life
The Mysterious City
Anuradha Kumar's The Kidnapping of Mark Twain paints an intriguing portrait of Bombay around the time of the American writer's visit
GOWDA KNOWS
Hot Stage, the third book in Anita Nair's Inspector Gowda mystery series, is here
WITH OUR OWN DESI SLEUTHS
Indian detective fiction gets its due in this massive, two-volume compilation from Hachette
PRIVATE PARADISE
Your home may well be your haven, but here are easy ways to make it your very own spa-dom.
Subversive IN SUBURBIA
A MONTH-LONG SHOW AT ART AND CHARLIE, MUMBAI, SHOWCASING THE WORKS OF POONAM JAIN AND YOGESH BARVE POSES SEVERAL QUESTIONS TO THE VIEWER