China's Congress of Crony Capitalists
AFTER a 20-year transition, the world's last major left-wing dictatorship, the Communist Party of China, has transformed itself. It is now, arguably, the world's last major right-wing dictatorship.
With the convening of the 16th Congress in its 81-year history, the party is rewriting its constitution to declare that it represents "advanced forces" - capitalists - as much as workers and peasants. Rich people have begun joining the party. A few may be invited to join its policy-making Central Committee.
This is China's baldest acknowledgment since veering from orthodox socialism in the late 1970's that it will make workers and peasants fend for themselves. Dictatorship of the proletariat has failed. So the party is giving plutocracy a chance.
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