Why China’s rulers fear Genghis Khan
Repression reaches one of China’s quirkiest ethnic communities
HARSHNESS IS A crude metric for judging an unelected regime. To keep power, lots of rulers will crush dissent with an iron fist. A more subtle measure involves thoroughness. Dedicated autocrats use cold, patient repression to bring even the meek and unthreatening into line. Their aim is to snuff out any belief—no matter how harmless—that might divide subjects’ loyalties.
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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “China’s rulers fear Genghis Khan ”
From the December 23rd 2023 edition
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