Marveling at this review of my book on Xi Zhongxun by Jon Sine: he absolutely nailed it. It was precisely to facilitate this kind of reflection that I wrote “The Party’s Interests Come First” www.cogitations.co/p/the-life-a...

The Life and Times of Xi Zhongxun

The Party’s Interests Come First, Joseph Torigian’s magisterial new biography

cogitations.co

Han Dynasty and Roman Empire. We like to say "all roads lead to Rome" but it is much more accurate to say "all roads lead to Chang'an." Han Dynasty road network was radial, whereas the Roman road network was mesh-like.

The Soviet reform experience is a repository of ostensible lessons. But are we learning the right ones? My new essay assesses one debate: the role of "entrenched interests" in the failure of Soviet economic reform and the USSR's ultimate demise. www.cogitations.co/p/from-refor...

From Reform to Ruin in the USSR

The Soviet Collapse: A Tale of Botched Reform or Entrenched Bureaucracy?

cogitations.co