Scholar's Stage

In “ Notes on the Dynamics of Human Civilization: the Growth Revolution ” and “ A Flawed Comparison: Inequality, Ancient and Modern ” I contended that the process through which premodern societies...

O ccasionally I come across attempts to explain the broad course of Chinese history in reference to China’s geography. These arguments tend to focus on the unified empires of Chinese history.

I t is unusual for me to read a book aimed at popular conservative audiences.  I am something of a disaffected conservative.

Born Aixin-Jueluo Xuanye and styled Kangxi, his reign was the longest of any emperor. To this day no Chinese scholar has followed in the foot steps of Arthur Schlesinger Sr .

The famous “nine-dash line” that marks China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea Source: “ Q&A: South China Sea Disputes .” BBC News. 15 May 2013.

Image Source: “ Chinese Smallpox Inoculation ” (or. image c. 1911), The Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, History of Vaccines Project (2012).

A great divide separates the worldviews of the average Chinese and American.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers the keynote address at the 2014 Shangri-La Dialogue Image Source T his weekend I finally had the chance to sit down and read the collected transcripts of the 2014...

W hen asked by Chinese acquaintances if I enjoy Chinese food more than American cuisine I often reply, “ I like Chinese food. The problem is, Chinese food does not like me !” I speak this truthfully.

P eter Lee, who writes columns for Asia Times Online , International Policy Digest , and Counterpunch , is one of the more astute observers of East Asian affairs I have the pleasure to read.

A Mongolian stamp depicting Maodun, founder of the Xiongnu Empire . Image source . A few weeks ago a friend passed along one of the least correct essays I have ever had the misfortune to read.

This is Part II of a two part series. We strongly recommend reading Part I before reading another sentence of this post. A modern depiction of Huo Qubing’s cavalry charging a surprised Xiongnu  force.

Victor Mair’s translation of the Sunzi Bingfa . Image Source . W hen translated into English, the Sunzi Bingfa , usually titled Sunzi’s Art of War , is a fairly small work.

A s much of the material here at The Stage narrates the history of Chinese warfare, diplomacy, and strategic thought or analyzes contemporary Chinese politics and international relations, I am...

Mao Zedong writing On Protracted Warfare (Yan’an, 1938) Source: Wikimedia.

This post is the second in a series. I strongly recommended readers start with the first post , which introduces the purpose and methods of this essay.

T he theories of John Boyd are an interesting example of a general historical principle: medium changes message .

T he ever interesting Omar Ali, who blogs and tweets about Islam, genetics, and all things Desi, forwarded an interesting essay to me the other day.

I n the comment thread of the post “ Honor, Dignity, and Victimhood: Three Centuries of American Political Culture ” a reader writing under the tag “Bormington” questions whether or not the changes...

The famous “nine-dash line” that marks China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea Source: “ Q&A: South China Sea Disputes .” BBC News (15 May 2013).

. “Hadrian’s wall at Greenhead Lough” by Velella, Image Source: Wikimedia An increasing number of U.S.

R ecently the Samurai Archives devoted a few episodes of their podcast to dissecting the relationship between military history and Japanese studies.

Japanese soldiers approach the walls of Nanjing By Sweeper tamonten, China Incident Photograph Album, Vol 2, published in 1938 by Asahi Shimbun., Public Domain, accessed at Wikimedia Commons .

T oday Strategy Bridge published my review of Peter Harmsen’s two books on the upper-Yangtze campaigns that kicked off Asia’s World War II: Shanghai: Stalingrad on the Yangtze , and Nanjing 1937:...

L ast week Strategy Bridge published an interesting piece by Sebastian Bae . In it Bae analyzes the United States’ strategy to defeat ISIS through the lens of the Sunzi and its precepts.

O n the recommendation of Tyler Cowen I picked up Taggart Murphy’s book Japan and the Shackles of the Past .

While the sun and moon endure Luck’s a chance, but trouble’s sure, I’d face it as a wise man would, And train for ill and not for good. —A.E.

“Let us go forward as with other matters and other measures similar in aim and effect – let us go forward in malice to none and good will to all.

This post was originally published as part of the Thucydides Roundtable project over at Zenpundit . I encourage you to read all of the posts in the roundtable.

The fundamental difference between the two analysts is their theory of what makes the Communist Party of China tick.

This post was originally published as part of the Thucydides Roundtable project over at Zenpundit . I encourage you to read all of the posts in the roundtable. M eet Sima Qian.

I spent the later part of my teenage years in the forbidding climes of southeastern Minnesota.

O ne of the benefits of living in China is a certain sense of perspective. China exists outside of the Anglophone culture wars.

I am the fellow who wrote the “everything is worse in China” post you linked to the other day. Thank you for sharing it with your readers.

The PLAN destroyer Xi’an berths in Pearl Harbor to take part in the June 2016 RIMPAC exercises. Original Source.

I am a fan of the musical Hamilton. My willingness to acclaim its merits is quite shameless, actually. This may strike some readers as odd, and perhaps strangely arbitrary.

I have a short essay out in the Weekly Standard this week arguing that most of the commentariat have a deeply flawed understanding of pop psychologist Jordan Peterson.

T he Sydney Herald Morning Post has this on their front page today: China eyes Vanuatu military base in plan with global ramifications China has approached Vanuatu about building a permanent military...

A ntulio Echevarria’s Military Strategy: A Very Short Introduction is a short and accessible introduction to military strategy, as ‘strategy’ is thought about and debated in American national...

Image Source. F our hundred thousand to one million people in concentration camps.

O ne of many delightful pearls found inside the Zuo Zhuan , the oldest historical narrative in East Asia: The younger sister of Xuwu Fan of Zheng was beautiful.

Y esterday’s excerpt from the Zuo Zhuan is an excellent case study in the difficulty of translating classical Chinese into English (or into modern Chinese, for that matter).

“The nominal form of [China’s] government… is an irresponsible autocracy; its institutions are likewise autocratic in form, but democratic in operation.

“The ultimate determinant in war is a man on the scene with a gun.” —J.C.

Danger is part of the friction of war. Without an accurate conception of danger we cannot understand war. — Clausewitz, On War (c.

DR. STOCKMANN: It’s my own fault. I should have faced them down long ago — shown my teeth — and bite back! Call me an enemy of society! So help me God, I’m not going to swallow that! MRS.

Norman Rockwell, draft version of Freedom of Speech (1943). “In the United States… there is nothing the human will despairs of attaining through the free action of the combined power of individuals.

“You’re ten years younger than I am, Dacha, and so the Master means more to you.

A picture of a book shelf I own. We often hear of people who will descend to any servility, submit to any insult for the sake of getting themselves or their children into what is euphemistically...

The State is a machine in the hands of the governing class for suppressing the resistance of its class antagonists.

The most striking difference between ancient and modern sophists is that the ancients were satisfied with a passing victory of the argument at the expense of truth, whereas the moderns want a more...

Chiang Kai-shek reviews Taiwanese conscripts in the 1950s. Image source. T wo weeks ago The National Interest published an important, hard-nosed essay by Wendell Minnick.

“We must maintain a holistic view of national security. We take the people’s security as our ultimate goal, political security as our fundamental task, and economic security as our foundation.

T wo months ago Qiushi, the central “theory” journal of the Communist Party of China, published a speech originally given by Xi Jinping several days after he was named General Secretary of the...

“ Closed politics cannot be a permanent feature of Chinese society….  We can cooperate with the emerging China of today, even as we work for the democratic China of tomorrow .

L awrence Freedman’s Strategy: A History is gargantuan. Really. This intellectual history clocks in at over 760 pages.

I have a new piece out in Foreign Policy. It takes a look at the changing balance of power between Pacific Command and the PLA, with a special focus on the vulnerabilities of US Forces Japan.

—Adam Smith (1759) I f you spend any time studying Taiwan defense issues you quickly realize something has gone wrong.

T oday is a grand anniversary for the Communist Party of China. You will read many things about its meaning and significance.

O ver at Foreign Policy I have a new column out reviewing Jonathan Ward’s China’s Vision of Victory .

“We should continuously upgrade our understanding of Marxism and maintain steadfast pursuit of the great ideal and goal….

X i Jinping is a Chinese renaissance man. Self-assured, self-possessed, and utterly unflappable, Xi is equally at home on the hearths of struggling farmers and in the greeting halls of foreign...

P ew published a thought provoking piece of research this week. Included in the report were the two graphics below: You can read the full report on the Pew website .

S everal months ago I was twittering back and forth with Matt Watson , one of John Hopkins’ biosecurity gurus .

T he United States could bounce back from the fall of Taiwan to Communist rule. It would have far more dire consequences for Japan. Consider this post a short, informal primer on why this is so .

T oday I came across an article three decades old , penned by Simon Leys in 1990.

I have a new essay out in the National Review which extends some of yesterday’s thoughts on the limits and attractions of the “common good” conservatism to a new topic: the generational divide that...

T here is a school of international relations theory that advocates judging the relations of states absent speculation on the intentions and plans of its statesmen.

T wo weeks ago I appeared on Titus Techera’s podcast Post-Modern Conservative to talk with him about my article for the National Review, “ Learning the Wrong Lessons From Reform Conservatism ” and...

T he folks over at Reason magazine have published an essay by Daniel Drezner titled “ There is No China Crisis .

O ver at the Washington Examiner I have a book review out of Timothy Brook’s The Great State: China and the World .

T wo months ago I wrote a post with the title “ Losing Taiwan Means Losing Japan .

O ne month ago I announced a series that would investigate “the world that China wants,” using Dan Tobin’s recent congressional testimony and Nadege Rolland’s recent research brief as the foundation...

T wo years ago I translated a major speech of Xi Jinping’s for the magazine Palladium .

T he New York Times reports that the Trump administration is considering proposals to ban all members of the Communist Party of China, and their families, from obtaining a visa to visit the United...

A few months back I promised I would highlight some of the key passages in Dan Tobin’s testimony to Congress, “ How Xi Jinping’s ‘New Era’ Should Have Ended U.S. Debate on Beijing’s Ambitions .

A book to read before making a poor analogy. E arlier this week I was interviewed by Erik Torenberg, for his podcast “Venture Stories.

M in Ye’s The Belt Road and Beyond: State-Mobilized Globalization in China 1998–2018 is an interesting, if dense, examination of Chinese development politics.

T wo years back I wrote an article for Foreign Policy with the title “ Taiwan Can Win a War With China .

T he Lowy Institute has a published an interactive debate titled “ China and the Rules-Based Order. ” I participated in the debate and wrote two small essays as a part of it.

I n her 2018 article for The International Journal of Afro-Asian Studies , “ Translating Xi Jinping’s speeches: China’s search for discursive power between ‘political correctness’ and ‘external...

Countries of the Belt and Road. E arlier this month I wrote : I wish less analysts asked, “What did Xi hope to accomplish by creating the Belt and Road?

Ideology, which was once the road to action, has become a dead end.

T here is a grand tradition in American politics of bashing the other side’s nominees.

T his post is a reading list. It is not a list of books I recommend for I have not read them all—at least, not yet. But it might form the center kernel of a top-notch reading group.

T he escalating crisis in Sino-Australian relations prompts a new piece. Foreign Policy publishes my latest under the title “ Biden’s First Foreign Policy Crisis is Already Here.

W hat did I get wrong in 2020? What did I change my mind about?

N ow is the proper time for the broader foreign policy community to step back and assess the successes and failures of Trump era diplomacy.

O ne of the great ironies of 20th century history: Marxist revolutionaries could only ever  seize power in the wrong countries.

L et’s talk about the grand Slate Star Codex brouhaha. A lot of people have already written about this. Here is the original New York Times piece that started the controversy.

M uch of what I have written about Taiwan defense issues assumes that the primary challenge facing Taiwanese forces and their allies is defeating (and thus deterring) a proper amphibious invasion.

L ast month there was a minor hullabaloo about the latest entry in the “Kennan Sweepstakes,” a long document published by the Atlantic Council titled “The Longer Telegram.” I read it three times.

I n today’s episode I discuss Captain Wayne Hughes (USN) book Fleet Tactics and Naval Operations with Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Lauterbach.

Image from Robert Haddick, Fire on the Water: China, America, and the Future of the Pacific (Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2014), 60.

From Ryan Burge, tweet , 2 July 2021. “How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked? “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually, then suddenly.” —Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises (1926).

If there is one lesson the world should learn from the great pandemic of 2020, it is this: we must discard the myth of panic.

Vladislav M. Zubok’s A Failed Empire: The Soviet Union in the Cold War From Stalin to Gorbachev is a surprising counterpart to my essay, “ Culture Wars are Long Wars .

Yesterday the Wall Street Journal published a letter I wrote to their edito r in response to Kevin Rudd’s exposition on Xi Jinping’s “Common Prosperity” campaign: Kevin Rudd argues that China’s...

In the most recent issue of American Affair s , Walter Hudson argues against “the pull of the Cold War analogy.

Desmund Shum is a red billionaire. Red Roulette is his memoir, a tell all expose of his family’s climb to the summits of wealth and the foothills of power.

Image Source The political project of the “post liberals” is not my own.

Image Source Several days ago the U.S.-China Perception Monitor published an essay in both English and Chinese by Hu Wei, a prominent think tanker in Shanghai .

Image Source Xi Jinping regularly exhorts China’s diplomats, propagandists, journalists, writers, filmmakers, and cultural figures to “tell China’s story well.

You may remember a piece I wrote last summer. It was a review of Vladislav Zubok’s book, A Failed Empire: The Soviet Union in the Cold War From Stalin to Gorbachev .

image source IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR military theorists across the West were desperate to fashion a path around the next war’s trenches.

Readers may remember my stab at a global Great Books list .

A few months ago Jonathan Haidt made waves with a big think-piece in the Atlantic arguing that most of the ills of the 2010s can be traced back to the invention of the retweet button.

Over at Foreign Affairs , Ryan Hass and Jude Blanchette have published an interesting argument .

Thomas Barnett’s vision of the core and the gap Japan’s 2022 National Security Strategy concludes with a dramatic pronouncement: At this time of an inflection point in history, Japan is finding...

In an essay published in 2018, Geramie Barme recommends observers of US-China relations read through five pieces that Hu Qiaomu and Mao Zedong published in 1949 under the latter’s name.

Xi Jinping’s decision to openly label the United States the source of China’s ills rolled through the newsletters, wire services, and commentators on China this week.

Readers of the Scholar’s Stage will be familiar with a thesis I have pursued in multiple essays and posts over the last half decade: America was once a place where institutional capacity was very...

Two years ago I ran a small reading group that met over zoom. Our reading topic: Leninism.

A few years back Ross Douthat published an interesting book titled The Decadent Society: How We Became Victims of Our Own Success .

To write of Christmas after December 25 th is neither a sin nor a crime, but there is something untoward in my tardiness.

Does China have a plan to save its wobbly economy? In last week’s issue of Foreign Policy I argue that it does —but not the sort of plan most Western economists are comfortable with.

Last month Civic Future invited me to join a panel at their annual policy forum. The topic: what the United Kingdom should do about China.

“Head of Dionysos.” On display at the Capitoline Museums, Rome, Italy. Source: Wikimedia . IN WESTERN PHILOSOPHY AND AESTHETICS a contrast is sometimes made between the Dionysian and the Apollonian.

MANY HAVE TRIED to pin Trump to Heritage’s “Project 2025.” The Trump campaign has not only refused to endorse Project 2025—they have refused to endorse any detailed policy plan whatsoever.

At the Bumla Pass In November 2024, I traveled to India as part of a delegation hosted by the India Foundation . The foundation is a part of the new nationalist establishment steering Indian society.

LAST OCTOBER I published a short breakdown of four geopolitical ‘schools’ that might shape China strategy under Trump.