End of an Era

After cataloguing China’s hard and soft power initiatives in his article at The American Interest Larry Diamond remarks:

What we call “the era of engagement”—when we believed that deepening ties would bring a more open, pluralistic, and law-based society in China—is over. What we need now is engagement without illusions: engagement that demands greater transparency, fairness and reciprocity in the relationship; and engagement with a resolve to defend the integrity of our democratic institutions. We call this approach “constructive vigilance.”

This is now a historic juncture not only in the U.S.-China relationship but also in the domestic politics of how to think about the relationship. While there remain many advocates of the old unconditional approach, an emerging bipartisan consensus now sees this stance as dangerously naïve.

I reached that conclusion more than thirty years ago, before most of the harm had already been done. Better late than never, I guess.

I’d like to present a challenge to Nicholas Kristoff, Tom Friedman, and thousands of other journalists and pundits. What is it that you hate about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that isn’t ten times worse in China?