Skip to main content
Access provided by

Curated by Project Syndicate

Tiananmen at 25

14 commentaries

Twenty-five years ago, student-led protests on Tiananmen Square came close to toppling the Chinese Communist Party, leading to a violent crackdown and martial law. Given the CCP's enduring hold on power, and China's economic and geopolitical rise in the ensuing years, what significance – if any – does the 1989 pro-democracy movement have today?

Sort by: Show:
  1. Surviving Tiananmen
    Tiananmen Square China_Markus Spiering_Flickr Markus Spiering/Flickr

    Surviving Tiananmen

    Jun 3, 2014 Minxin Pei asks whether the Chinese Communist Party can rule for another quarter-century.

  2. China Sets America’s Mental Trap
    China and US US State Dept/Flickr

    China Sets America’s Mental Trap

    May 29, 2014 Stephen S. Roach forecasts stiffening economic headwinds for the US as excess Chinese saving dries up.

  3. Li’s Balancing Act
    China Great Wall_Charlotte Powell_Flickr Charlotte Powell/Flickr

    Li’s Balancing Act

    May 29, 2014 Zhang Jun assesses China's options for maintaining an equilibrium between financial risk and economic growth.

  4. China’s Long March to Freedom
    Tiananmen Square at Night_ddmalan_Flickr ddmalan/Flickr

    China’s Long March to Freedom

    May 27, 2014 Aryeh Neier says that 25 years after the Tiananmen Square massacre, the protesters' demands have not gone away.

  5. Global Ground Zero in Asia

    Global Ground Zero in Asia

    Apr 30, 2014 Nouriel Roubini says that if the global order blows up, the detonation will occur in Asia.

  6. Creeping China

    Creeping China

    Nov 28, 2013 Brahma Chellaney picks apart China's "cabbage" strategy for securing hegemony in East Asia.

Our Pick

Featured

  1. isenberg1_TIMOTHY A. CLARYPOOLAFP via Getty Images_trumptrial Timothy A. Clary/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
    0

    Is Trump Above the Law?

    Nancy Isenberg

    Contrary to what former US President Donald Trump would have the American public believe, no president enjoys absolute immunity from criminal prosecution. To suggest otherwise is to reject a bedrock principle of American democracy: the president is not a monarch.

     explains why the US Supreme Court must reject the former president's claim to immunity from prosecution.
  2. deryugina1_BEN BIRCHALLPOOLAFP via Getty Images_ukraineflagsoldier Ben Birchall/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
    0

    Ukraine Is Far From Doomed

    Tatyana Deryugina & Anastassia Fedyk

    When comparing Ukraine’s situation in 2024 to Europe’s in 1941, Russia’s defeat seems entirely possible. But it will require the West, and the US in particular, to put aside domestic political squabbles and muster the political will to provide Ukraine with consistent and robust military and financial assistance.

     compare Russia's full-scale invasion to World War II and see reason to hope – as long as aid keeps flowing.
  3. glennerster2_Scott OlsonGetty Images)_vaccines Scott Olson/Getty Images)
    0

    The Pandemic Financing Developing Countries Need

    Rachel Glennerster urges multilateral development banks to establish mechanisms that enable at-risk vaccine purchases.
  4. krueger74_AFP via Getty Images_nigercoup AFP via Getty Images
    0

    The Geopolitics of Africa’s Debt Crisis

    Anne O. Krueger urges developed countries to back efforts by the IMF and the World Bank to promote growth-enhancing reforms.
  5. palacio156_ Georg Moritzpicture alliance via Getty Images_immigation Georg Moritz/picture alliance via Getty Images
    0

    Why the EU’s New Migration Pact Matters

    Ana Palacio applauds the pragmatic coalition-building, especially by Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, that enabled the deal.
  6. kirchschlager1_Fatih AktasAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_AI Fatih AktasAnadolu Agency via Getty Images
    0

    AI Needs UN Oversight

    Peter G. Kirchschläger calls for the creation of a watchdog – similar to the IAEA – that employs a human rights-based approach.
  7. chellaney_VCGVCG via Getty Images_china military VCG/VCG via Getty Images
    0

    The West Is Hastening Its Own Decline

    Brahma Chellaney argues that the unprecedented US and European sanctions against Russia are backfiring.
  8. zizek29_Sebastian Gollnowpicture alliance via Getty Images_palestine congress germany Sebastian Gollnowpicture alliance via Getty Images
    3

    Canceling Palestine

    Slavoj Žižek worries that the double standards applied on Israel’s behalf will lead to an anti-Semitic backlash.
  9. ackerman2_Brian van der Brug Los Angeles Times via Getty Images_preschool Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
    0

    America’s Childcare Is Unfit for the Postmodern Age

    Bruce Ackerman urges US President Joe Biden to put universal preschool at the center of his re-election campaign.

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification

To receive email updates regarding this {entity_type}, please enter your email below.

If you are not already registered, this will create a PS account for you. You should receive an activation email shortly.