My latest piece on #COVID19 is out @NatureHumBehav, part of @nature + OPEN ACCESS

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🦠" title="Microbe" aria-label="Emoji: Microbe"> When COVID-19 Meets Centralized, Personalized Power https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👑" title="Crown" aria-label="Emoji: Crown">

The debate over whether autocracies or democracies are better at fighting epidemics is misguided.

Why?https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔽" title="Down-pointing triangle" aria-label="Emoji: Down-pointing triangle">

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-020-0872-3">https://www.nature.com/articles/...

Common logical fallacy is to insist that centralized power is either ALL-GOOD or ALL-BAD.

It is BOTH

For a balanced perspective, we must know when and how China& #39;s authoritarian regime failed & succeeded at responding to #COVIDー19

Deng Xiaoping knew well the dangers of autocracy

As I argued in @ForeignAffairs, he mitigated them by adding "democratic characteristics" to autocracy

But Xi came along & removed these checks, exposing the regime & ctry to the weaknesses of centralized power

Then came #COVID19

Not all dictatorships are alike, just as not all democracies are alike

Even within https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇨🇳" title="Flag of China" aria-label="Emoji: Flag of China"> PROC& #39;s 70 year history, it has experienced several different TYPES of dictatorships

Mao: Personalist dictatorship

Deng: Party-based leadership with checks

Xi: Swung back to Mao

Under Xi, the result is tightened control on civil society + a paralyzed bureaucracy afraid to take initiative or risks

Setting the stage for calamity to follow

Even though no one - especially Xi himself - wanted a disaster

Amid deep global anxiety, narratives about #COVID19
pandemic are becoming politicized and reduced to over-simplistic memes

Either

"China has scored a total victory!" https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🏆" title="Trophy" aria-label="Emoji: Trophy">

Or

"It& #39;s all China& #39;s fault!" https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😡" title="Pouting face" aria-label="Emoji: Pouting face">

This is dangerous. We need a balanced perspective more than ever.

And most importantly, stop conflating Xi& #39;s administration with #China, or even with the CCP (there are dissenters within the party and government)

Just as Trump& #39;s administration ≠ USA

Only politicians are at war

Ordinary people do not want war

On a final nerdy note

Thank you to @NatureHumBehav editor Charlotte Payne for an shepherding an efficient peer review, fastest I& #39;ve ever had, and with constructive comments

May every review process be like this

On top of world peace https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="☮️" title="Peace symbol" aria-label="Emoji: Peace symbol">