Never before has the global economy witnessed economic growth as it has in China over the last twenty years.  From political chaos to global power, China has modernized into the 20^th Century as no one could have predicted.  As a result, the global balance of power has shifted.  And, much to the dismay of democratic proponents, the shift has been forced by an authoritarian government based on the principles of communism. 

In James Mann's article, "A Shining Model of Wealth Without Liberty," China is shown to be the benefactor of poor foreign policy by the United States.  For Mann, this, coupled with China's own maturation into a potentially effective alternative to western democracy, has elevated China to a threatening level of political influence.  I completely agree that China's political model seems a bit threatening, even legitimate, in the wake of America's 'Democracy-by-Force' foreign policy.  However, I disagree that the Chinese model is actually a significant global threat to democracy as a whole.   

First of all, Mann is absolutely correct in saying that the United States' foreign policy is terribly unpopular around the world.  From my own experiences in South Africa and now in China with not only South Africans and Chinese, but also English, French, and German students, I understand just how much the United States' popularity has plummeted.  However, I believe that America's global reputation is declining not because democracy is failing but because of two consecutive terms of poor foreign policy making.  In fact, it seems that the American government's reputation is almost as bad domestically as abroad.  To be precise, I believe that the United States has lost popularity within the states as well as globally due to regrettable leadership.  I do not believe that this is enough to undermine the principals of democracy as a model, even in the face of China's booming economic success.

A couple of points are important to address regarding China's political model.  Modernization of China has reaped massive economic benefits and the country continues to grow.  However, where I see fault in Mann's argument is his statement that the Communist Party can maintain its stronghold over China by keeping "the new business community…hardly independent of the party; in effect, it is the party, linked to China's power structure through financial connections or family ties."  This may be true for now while the middle class is relatively small.  But in a massively populated country like China, if the economy continues to grow, more and more independently wealthy individuals will join this class.  There is only so much the CCP can do to keep the wealthy happy before an upwardly-mobile middle class begins to question the authoritarian system.  While this is not as optimistic as the prevailing ideal that China's government will simply have to democratize, as speculated by Bill Clinton and President Bush; it is more realistic.   

Finally, I think there is a significant problem with predicting China's political future at all, whether it be with optimism towards democracy or similar to Mann's own pleas to take the country seriously as a non-democratic alternative.  China's political past is so tumultuous that I find it hard to predict so much as fifteen years into the future.  Some theorize that the economy could crash after the 2008 Olympics due to over-speculation.  Others wonder about the relationship between China and Taiwan.  Perhaps the CCP will lose control over a growing push from intellectuals for a more liberal, even democratic government.  Certainly overpopulation, poverty, and continued development at the cost of both the environment and Chinese citizens' health will continue to be major issues.  While the US is declining in global popularity due to abhorrent foreign policy making, I do not think we can say that China's political model is a significant threat to democracy just yet.  Instead, I believe that serious change must start within our own government, specifically in the area of foreign policy.  China should be taken seriously, but I believe our main concern should be with the next presidency's ability to curb the steady decline of American global popularity. 

To read Mann''s op-ed in the Washington Post, click: James Mann: a shining model of wealth without liberty'' href=''http://www.chinaelections.org/en/readnews.asp?newsid={8CB16965-F628-4216-81A7-20DE75138C30}'' target=_blank>James Mann: a shining model of wealth without liberty [2007.06.18 ].

Tyler Sant is a student at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.  He is currently studying Chinese at Beijing Normal University.  The opinion expressed in the article is that of the author''s and does not reflect the view of the web site.