The Useless Tree

Politics

  • Douglas Feith as Mao Zedong

          One of the planners of the Iraq war, Douglas Feith has a book coming out (ht: TPM).  The Washington Post has a story about it today.       The problem for Feith is: how do you rationalize what… Continue reading

  • Once More Into the Breach: The New Legalists and the Tao Te Ching

         One more thing about the New Legalists (am I going on too much about this?  Probably.  But what the hell, it’s kind of fun….): they want to enlist the Tao Te Ching in their efforts to construct a… Continue reading

  • More on the New Legalists: The Philosophical Problems

        Picking up where I left off in the last post, I find various philosophical problems with the New Legalists.  I am reading them as nationalists who are appropriating ancient Legalist texts, together with some Taoist volumes, to fashion… Continue reading

  • Is the Tao Te Ching Democratic?

        Another question from my tutorial (thanks Andrea!).      To begin an answer we must address all the caveats.  No, I do not mean "democracy" as it is currently practiced in the West.  Yes, I understand that the… Continue reading

  • Mao and Tao

        Yesterday in my Chinese politics class we discussed Marxist ideology in general and Mao’s Report on the Hunan Peasant’s Movement in particular.  The aim of the conversation was to come to an understanding of how a foreign ideology… Continue reading

  • Culture, Tradition, Politics

        Ian Buruma has a piece in yesterday’s Guardian: "Culture is no excuse for China denying its people democracy."  It is short, so cannot delve very deeply into the various facets of this topic.  But he does make some… Continue reading

  • Why Snow Matters Politically in China

         The blizzards and associated transportation breakdowns in China of the past couple of weeks have started to raise political questions.  Indeed, any time a prime minister feels he has to publicly apologize for the weather – or the… Continue reading

  • The Tao of Obama

        I know: Taoism is not really a good analytic framework for US politics (largely because Taoism is, in itself, anti-analytic, but that is another story…).  Too much weirdness about keeping people uninformed and hiding the weapons and all… Continue reading

  • That’s Why I Love Guangzhou

         This site has been blocked in China for the past couple of weeks, as have all Typepad blogs…again.  I noticed it on one of my site meters: all the China readers disappeared.  What a drag.  I have thought… Continue reading

  • Why the DPP Lost

         Two nights ago we went to dinner at the home of Mr. Yao Chia-wen and his wife, Chou Ching-yu. They were both present at the creation of the DPP, early front-line activists in the formation of a viable… Continue reading