China's Belt and Road Initiative
Most discussion of China’s One Belt One Road initiative (OBOR) focuses on overseas infrastructure projects. But the initiative is also a campaign of ideas to buttress Xi Jinping’s personality cult and entrench his domestic control. Presenting findings from his recently published book, Eyck Freymann shows how Chinese-language propaganda use historical analogies to explain and justify the OBOR scheme to domestic audiences. Their implicit claim is that Xi Jinping is the spiritual heir to Han Wudi, one of the most renowned emperors in Chinese history, and OBOR is a campaign of national rejuvenation—to restore the imperial tributary system in a modern form. China's internal narrative projects itself outward in the form of both diplomatic initiatives and infrastructure development, including an ambitious global agenda to acquire and control ports.
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Lectures of Opportunity offers U.S. Naval War College (NWC) students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to learn more about national and international socio-political subjects that may be of relevance to the NWC community.
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