One must marvel at the emergence of China as an economic and political power after an eternity in the doldrums. Pundits speak with amazement at their new found power as if it has never been the case in their long history.
But it has known greatness over the thousands of years of China’s existence which is nothing more than a history of dynastic progression. Dynasties come and go, rise and fall. Some last a long time others are short lived. Some are great some are not. And the current regime is just another dynasty, one of course that has evolved from communist economic policies to strict capitalism.
Will this dynasty endure? Maybe yes, maybe no, because as has been noted dynasties come and go over time lasting for diverse periods of time. China faces three routes in its future. First, the status quo of no democracy and lots of capitalism. But this leads to leisure time and that leads to a desire for freedom. So China may still evolve further into becoming a democracy without dynastic change.
China may for some reason decline and be followed by the rise of a new as yet unknown dynasty. China’s history is circular and it repeats itself and one must question if China can break out of their current dynastic cycle and sprout democracy.
Well if Arabs around the world can choose freedom so too the Chinese and that is why China is blocking its people’s access to internet news of the Arab Rising. Yes, democracy is a distinct possibility and within the rules of dynastic progression.