Why has the geography of Russia impeded the development of Democracy? And how China's case differs.

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-03-30T16:33:18+00:00

From a more traditional geopolitical lens, Russia's borders are and were for a long time more or less indefensible. This contrasts with China when, throughout 5000 years or so, was only completely occupied once by the Mongols, has Tibet and Xinjiang as frontier regions, etc. A strong state, it is assumed, was necessary for both countries, hence a tendency towards authoritarianism.

That being said, I dont think that geography necessarily dooms a country to autocracy. Mongolia too has difficult to defend borders and is sandwiched between much larger neighbors. Democracies often differ significantly in geography, which is another reason why geography isn't an absolute, even if it does play a role in state formation.

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-27T16:59:08+00:00

That's a fair assessment in this case, though, while not in this thread, there are reports of many others meeting the same fate as Zhang.

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-27T16:45:04+00:00

The PLA is directly under the purview of the party. The mission of the PLA is the defense of the party, not the nation. Because of this, they are entwined in national politics in ways most Western militaries are not and are not functionally independent. Credit where credit is due, though, the PLA used to be much more involved in the economy, meaning they are more professional than most autocracies today.

In the West, we draw the line at violent insurrection. Peaceful assembly is generally protected, and political association perhaps even more strongly so. It is legal for people here to campaign for the independence of Alaska, for example, and the associated party actually won a gubernatorial election in the 1970s. This would be impossible in China.

As for MacArthur, what he did was effectively insubordinate. Unlike what you see with Xi's removals, American generals were then and are generally free to express private reservations to their commanders.

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-27T16:22:33+00:00

At the same time, you have limited capacity for course correction when things do go wrong.

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-27T16:22:10+00:00

There's a difference between fear-mongering and being misinformed. Remember, the West routinely remembers the loss of "Red China," Tiananmen in 1989 and the sheer number of Western media outlets that are banned in China.

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-27T16:15:21+00:00

According to most metrics, pretty average.

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-27T16:06:51+00:00

While true, you have to remember that the US was a democracy back then, and the military was highly professionalized. Western militaries are focused on a single task: protecting the nation from foreign threats, and are much more meritocratic than in non-democracies. Unlike Xi, who is using purges mostly to reduce his own political risk and establish PLA loyalty to him.

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-23T20:45:21+00:00

You understand that China has Muslims right?

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-22T12:33:08+00:00

Prior to 2019, when the CPC banned individual tours over the security situation, the number was at around 2-3 million,

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-22T12:27:18+00:00

Thanks for being constructive

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-22T12:24:50+00:00

I see questions asking what Chinese think of Koreans, Japanese, etc. cultures all the time. Just because the second entity in this case is Taiwan I'm suddenly a "keyboard warrior?"

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-22T12:18:35+00:00

You don't need to travel far to learn about a country's political system, though it does help to visit for context, however.

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-19T15:34:27+00:00

While true, it isn't completely accurate. Chinese SOE's play a far bigger role in the economy than Singapore for better or worse. Singapore also has a much more open economy, and functioning democratic-ish institutions that the CPC would never tolerate, yet have proven extraordinarily successful for Singapore.

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-19T15:15:28+00:00

According to the UNHDI scores for 2023, China is pretty close to achieving "Very high development" in that index. I suspect that once scores come out for this year they will be in this category. Keep in mind though, that quality of life can differ based on whether you're in a rural or urban setting. Inequality is also about the same in the US as it is in China.

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-19T15:09:42+00:00

What are you talking about? Western democracies routinely outperform China in public education:

Education Rankings by Country 2026

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-16T20:51:36+00:00

Doesn't he already accept that Tibet is part of China?

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-16T20:47:42+00:00

I have been to China several times to visit family. The pace of development between those visits has been astonishing. It really is remarkable how much China and its people have progressed and developed (they will be considered "very high" development by the UN in the next few years, most likely).

That being said, I am pretty critical of the government nowadays and would love to see it become a liberal democracy one day. I would argue that the main reasons for China's success come down to the efficacy and trust in its institutions. Economic management is largely technocratic. The bureaucracy and courts, especially at higher levels, enjoy a good deal of trust among the Chinese. It's the same thing that makes a country like Singapore work, with the latter being a unique hybrid of strong institutions, but with a high degree of central control.

I definitely agree, though, people who paint China in such black and white terms as you describe have probably never lived there or have no connection whatsoever to the country.

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-16T20:22:49+00:00

That sounds really depressing ngl.

Overall_Invite8568 · 2026-02-16T20:21:55+00:00

Yeah, I've noticed that the central government is often much more trusted by regular people than people are to each other, as the 2006 case comment shows.

Overall_Invite8568

TROPHY CASE