Will the protests that have swept the Middle East inspire a similar movement in
China, or is that country’s middle class more interested in the material than the political?
Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesSurveys show that a majority of Chinese feel their lives have gotten better economically in recent years. Above, a worker at a construction site in Suining, China.
Over the course of three short months, popular uprisings have toppled regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, sparked a civil war in Libya and created unrest in other parts of the Middle East. They also have raised a question in many people’s minds: Are all authoritarian regimes now threatened by this new democratic wave? In particular, is China, a rising superpower, vulnerable to these forces? Continue reading “Is China Next?”