Ferguson on China: GDP, Nationalism, and the Internet

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/07/01/Niall_Ferguson_and_James_Fallows_on_Chimerica

Niall Ferguson, author of The Ascent of Money, concludes that the legitimacy of China is not strictly dependent on GDP growth, but on also relies heavily on nationalism - which the Internet facilitates. "The more economic problems they have, the more it seems to me they will rely on nationalism," he says.

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Niall Ferguson, the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University, and The Atlantic's James Fallows discuss the financial relationship between the United States and China as part of the 2009 Aspen Ideas Festival. The event was moderated by Scott Stossel. - Aspen Institute

Niall Ferguson, MA, D.Phil., is the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University. He is a resident faculty member of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies. He is also a Senior Research Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford University, and a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.

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[rowu8888]

actually he was comparing China with Germany during WWI (one hundred years ago- right?) which was Kaiser's Germany, not the nazis~ and he was just drawing an analogy between Britain's relationship with Germany in terms of how they exchanged culturally and economically. He wasn't really saying China IS WWI Germany.

[guestz001]

In this world, Anglo bullshit theatre is always in surplus.

[happinesson]

Good insights about China!economic Problems and challenges binds them more together..good attitude..

[stephentsang2000]

@overcastingasshole

It was the fucking Japs who started it, and it's the fucking Japs who cover up their fucking history in their educational system, and if war is inevitable, then so be it~ These fucking Japs need to be taught a lesson for fucking up with China.

[overcastingasshole]

@stephentsang2000 Japanese people today are good people. Same as Americans. And I can say this being Chinese. I just hope leaders from both sides don't fuck it up for the common people and put us in ridiculous situations like another World War where young men are sent literally to die because leaders up top can't sort their shit. If war breaks out, we should send the guys up top to war and let them die over their own beef. Fuck that after all the pain and suffering. NEVER AGAIN

[RedTyphoon1]

i@uglybetties You are a dumbass. Hes comparing China to Imperial Germany not Nazi Germany read a textbook bitch.

[Cyrus255]

China has no "New Course" policy yet, but if China does attempt to target areas in which the USA traditionally held supremacy (to challenge American air superiority for example), then perhaps a WW3 may not be too far off.

China wrote the Art of War, literally, so they know not to do this. China will continue their slow economic domination. China knows the best policy is pretending to be communist and doing capitalism. The worst policy is the USA's: pretend to be capitalist but do communism.

[Cyrus255]

A very keen analogy. But off on a few points. The Kaiserreich was a monarchy and nationalism was less contradictory in nature (communist nationalism in a capitalist china is plentiful but ironic in nature).

A difference, however was that they were rapidly building their armed forces at a rate that alarmed Britain. China has yet to do this. They have increased military spending at record levels and if they continue the USA may start to be alarmed but the US is broke so can't do sh*t.

[momoisdrug]

An interesting theory.

[stephentsang2000]

Chinese doesn't intend to step over America. Chinese loves America and bought more American-brand cars than anywhere in the world. Chinese enemy is the Japanese, who didn't apologize to any countries at all for their WWII crimes. Fucking Jap government even modify their history books to cover up their stinky and nasty crimes in the war.