Substack Library
GlossaryChina’s Deflationary Regime Change
May 5, 2023If someone forwarded this to you, my name is Paul. You can read about who I am here. This Substack grows via word-of-mouth, so please forward to your friends. If you like this writing, you will enjoy my books Master, Minion and Raising a Thief. Subscriptions are a vote of confidence and book and podcast reviews help lead others to my work.
China’s Fading Boom
January 16, 2023Xi scares me. And I’m far from his grasp. I can’t imagine what it is like if you are close.
Zero Covid Lessons
May 14, 2022Concepts are less persuasive than actual experience. You know, in the abstract, car crashes are undesirable; then you are in one and the scream of tires, metal crunching into glass and a massive adrenaline jolt forever changes your perception of risk. Covid is doing the same, particularly in China.
Scholz, Xi and McCarthy’s Choice
April 10, 2022The more Buchas are revealed, the more stark the moral choices both government leaders and the rest of us face. It’s not overdramatic to say that the fate of liberal, open society hangs on what choices are made. The person who faces the most immediate and difficult choice is Germany’s Olaf Scholz. China’s Xi and House Republican Leader McCarthy also matter. Politicians, like us all, are motivated by self-interest. It’s also true that most ethical teaching, both Western and Eastern, remind us that harmony is only achieved by balancing our own interests against the legitimate interests of others.
China’s Strength and Fragility
March 19, 2022Putin might lose the war in Ukraine, which helps explain why he is threatening chemical and nuclear weapons and also reaching out to China for help. In that regards, my conversation with Yuhua Wang is timely. Yuhua has both an amazing life story and is also an expert in Chinese politics at Harvard. I very much enjoyed my chat with him and think you will, too. You can listen to the full conversation here.