#224 China's Soldiers Have One BIG WEAKNESS | Madhav Das Nalapat
Oct 16, 2023
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International Affairs expert Madhav Das Nalapat joins China Unscripted to discuss China's weakness in warfare, the emergence of Cold War 2.0, and combating communism's popularity. The episode explores the beginnings of a new Cold War, weaknesses in the Chinese military, conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, racism, CCP manipulation of social media, and the challenges of building a global alliance against China.
China's soldiers have a big weakness that could affect their ability to win a war.
Cold War 2.0 has already begun, initiated by the Hong Kong handover in 1997.
Building alliances with democratic countries is crucial to combat the threat of the CCP and protect democracy.
Deep dives
The New Cold War began with the Hong Kong handover
The New Cold War essentially began when the Hong Kong handover happened in 1997. The CCP saw this as a significant moment, believing it gave them the confidence to replace the United States as the world's preeminent power.
The CCP's opportunistic alliance with the West against the USSR
From the beginning, the CCP had an opportunistic alliance with the West, specifically the United States, against the USSR. Mao Zedong believed that the CCP, not the USSR, should be the leader of the communist world. This alliance lasted until the 1980s when it became clear that the US side would prevail in the Cold War 1.0.
The CCP's belief in manifest destiny and preeminence
The CCP has always had the conviction that it would ultimately become the preeminent power and that its communist doctrine would prevail. They view the West as vulnerable and believe it is their time to rise and replace the US as the dominant global power.
The illusion versus reality of the CCP's intentions
The illusion is that communist China and the CCP are one and the same, representing the Chinese people. The reality is that the CCP is an authoritarian regime that only represents the interests of its leadership. The CCP has been very effective at camouflaging itself and making the world identify China and the Chinese people with the communist leadership. It is crucial to understand this distinction.
The need for strategic thinking and alliances in Cold War 2.0
In Cold War 2.0, building alliances is essential. The US and its democratic allies need to strategically come together to create a strong coalition against the main threat—the top ranks of the CCP and their authoritarian system. Lessons from the past must be learned, and an alliance system must be established to prevent further aggression by the CCP and protect the values of democracy and freedom.
There's been a lot of talk about how big and modern China's military has become, and it's true that in terms of size and and technology, it's improved significantly over the last few decades. But there's a human factor that has to be taken into account when talking about China's ability to win a war, and that could be China's biggest weakness. In this episode of China Unscripted, we discuss one big weakness of Chinese soldiers, how we're already in Cold War 2.0, and how to combat the popularity of communism. Joining us in this episode is Professor Madhav Das Nalapat, the vice chair of the Manipal Advanced Research Group, and the author of the new book "Cold War 2.0: Illusion Versus Reality."
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