Political Science Professor George Guo Quoted in Time Magazine
Professor of Political Science George Guo was quoted in a Time magazine cover story about the rare political transition taking place in China.
The nation has developed a massive security apparatus, largely to suppress dissent, as political reforms have failed to keep pace with economic liberalization.
“There is no question that China is the biggest security state in the world,” George told the magazine for its Oct. 22 edition. The article is available online only to subscribers, but Hege Library has access to it in print and via Academic Search Complete.
He also spoke about Vice President Xi Jinping, the heir apparent to the current president and Communist Party general secretary, and “weiwen,” a Chinese word for maintaining stability.
“Xi and the new Standing Committee will want to make weiwen decisions themselves instead of having one person [like security chief Zhou Yongkang] control it,” he said. “The new leaders’ No. 1 criterion for success will still be maintaining stability.”
George is the author of “China’s Security State: Philosophy, Evolution, and Politics.” Recently published by Cambridge University Press, the book examines the creation and growth of the nation’s security and intelligence agencies, including their influence on the Chinese Communist Party.
