The Two-Year Itch?
In National Review Online, Michael Ledeen plausibly argues that the regimes of Iran, North Korea, and China are near collapse. I certainly hope he’s right. Along the way, he notes that China has encouraged its citizens to blow off steam rioting against foreign governments “May, 1999, after the U.S. bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, April, 2001, after the collision with a U.S. reconnaissance plane with a Chinese fighter, and March, 2003, against the liberation of Iraq”, and of course right now, ostensibly against Japanese historical revisionism. The dates are interesting: it almost looks like these riots are scheduled for every other Spring. As I recall, ancient Greek cities had Bacchic revels at similar intervals: every two years the women would run off into the hills and run berserk for a few days performing the secret rites of Dionysus. Is two years as long as an oppressed nation or gender can go without at least temporary release? If the rulers of China make it through the next few months, are they safe until 2007?
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