Latest Articles about Elite Politics
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Xi Sets Out 2029 Vision At The Third Plenum
Executive Summary: Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping has solidified his position as the driving force behind achieving a “high-quality socialist market economy” by 2029. The recent CCP Central Committee Plenum indicated that he would rule until at least 2032. The Third Plenary... MORE
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Peng Liyuan Rises Up the Ranks: Implications for Xi’s Despotic Rule
Executive Summary: Recent behavior by General Secretary Xi Jinping suggests a contradiction in his approach to leadership. While he has sacked protégés, suggesting a reckoning with past personnel decisions, he continues to prioritize personal connections and loyalty over competence. This centralization of power is exemplified... MORE
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War of Attrition Perturbs Putin’s Elites
Executive Summary: Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was arrested in Moscow on accusations of corruption, surprising Russians who have not seen a large-scale corruption charge since the start of the war in Ukraine. The arrest may have been meant as a warning from Russian... MORE
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Georgia’s New Anti-Western Prime Minister Seeks Ties With China
Executive Summary: Irakli Kobakhidze has been nominated for the position of Prime Minister of Georgia, succeeding Irakli Garibashvili. Influential Georgian Dream Party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili's involvement has been cited despite denials, hinting at continued party control over government appointments. The Georgian public and opposition have... MORE
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Recent PRC Rhetoric Does Not Signify Substantive Diplomatic Shifts
Executive Summary: Liu Jianchao is expected to succeed Qin Gang as foreign minister, emphasizing a focus on maintaining positive relations and creating a market-oriented business environment. But questions have been raised about Liu's qualifications, as he lacks experience as an ambassador and is known for... MORE
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Xi Demands Fealty Despite Domestic And Foreign Woes
The Politburo held a “democratic life meeting (民主生活会)” on December 21–22, 2023, in which President Xi Jinping gave an internal, unpublished speech. According to accounts provided to the author by three officials at the rank of department head or above, Xi admitted that he had... MORE
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Much Cause But Little Recourse For Popular Discontent
The last quarter of 2022 saw an outburst of Chinese people power. Citizens in as many as 28 cities, including Shanghai, Beijing, and Chongqing staged spontaneous protests on their campuses or out on the streets. The underlying cause was Beijing’s draconian lockdown measures, which led... MORE
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Issues of Centralization, From Financial Work To Personnel
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping called for tighter Party and state control of the financial sector in the quinquennial Central Financial Work Conference that ended in Beijing on October 31 (Xinhua, October 31). All seven Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) members as well... MORE
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Russia Continues to Forcibly Recruit Prisoners and Migrant Workers for War in Ukraine (Part Two)
The Kremlin has broadened the recruitment of prisoners by the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) and National Guard (Rosgvardia) in an effort to avoid launching a second wave of mass mobilization. This comes after Moscow denied the Wagner Group the right to recruit convicts in... MORE
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Dramatic Demographic Changes Threaten Stability in Kazakhstan
The population of Kazakhstan will exceed 20 million people for the first time, and more than 70 percent of its residents will be ethnic Kazakhs sometime in November (Kazakhstan Today, November 1). Coinciding with this welcome boom are developments that threaten the stability of the... MORE