Neutrality Studies Western Projection: Creating Enemies to Maintain Power | Dr. Jan Oberg
Dec 3, 2025
Dr. Jan Oberg, a peace researcher and director at the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, shares insights from his recent visits to major conferences in China. He emphasizes the importance of international dialogue for peace and critiques Western militarism, advocating for conflict prevention through institutions. Oberg discusses China's Panchsheel principles and highlights the Belt and Road Initiative as a means for fostering cooperation. He warns of the West's tendency to project threats and calls for visionary leadership to navigate the decline of empire peacefully.
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Large China Studies Conference Experience
- Jan Oberg attended a 500-person World Conference of China Studies in Shanghai to meet global China scholars.
- He stressed that dialogue at conferences and informal meetings builds mutual understanding and contributes to peace.
Rural China Hospitality Example
- Jan described staying in a 1,500-person village where locals were kind, helpful, and content.
- He used small travel moments to argue that visitors often return with more positive views than Western media portrayals.
Constitutional Peace Versus Weapons-First Logic
- Jan highlighted the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence as embedded in China's constitution and policy.
- He contrasted this with Western 'weapons-first' security thinking that prioritizes deterrence and leads to arms races.