Internet-Inspired Revolutions: Chinese and Russian Empires Strike Back

Events in North Africa and the Middle East have reasonably caught the world's attention. However, there are some very interested parties which have been rather quiet during the recent uproar across the Islamic crescent of nations. Prime candidates include Russia and China.

Both countries have a ruling class whose appetite for control permits no quarter with free expression. Both China and Russia have a history of repression in the name of "progress." Both nations have populations that could resort to volatile behavior as a means of mass expression. And both former Communist monoliths harbor profound reservations about the Internet.

Chinese president Hu Jintao, in a recent speech at Beijing's elite Central Party School, was blunt about his concerns. The Asian edition of The Wall Street Journal noted his remarks at the end of an article about the Chinese government's heebie jeebies over the Internet's role in the downfall of North African regimes.

The key quote is as follows:

"At present, our country has an important strategic window for development, but is also in a period of magnified social conflicts," he said. Among the steps Beijing had to take, Mr. Hu said, was "further strengthening and improving management of the Internet, improving the standard of management of virtual society, and establishing mechanisms to guide online public opinion."

It's easy to imagine Russia's Vladimir Putin feeling that he and Hu are kindred spirits on this issue.

One wonders what the Chinese government's "improving management of the Internet," or "establishing mechanisms to guide online public opinion" might mean in practice.

Like it or not, the United States remains the global counterpoint to China's dark police state and Russia's gangster nation. That's one very important reason why our country must recover its economic mojo. The sooner we get it, the better off the world will be.