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Rana Mitter

Rana Mitter

7 commentaries
1 videos & podcasts

Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China at the University of Oxford, is the author, most recently, of China’s Good War: How World War II Is Shaping a New Nationalism (Belknap Press, 2020).

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  1. The Return of the Warlords
    mitter5_WagnerAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_prigozhin WagnerAnadolu Agency via Getty Images

    The Return of the Warlords

    Jun 26, 2023 Rana Mitter explains why Chinese leaders are paying particularly close attention to the turmoil in Russia.

  2. Where Is Xi’s China Heading?
    op_mitter3_ Kevin FrayerGetty Images Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

    Where Is Xi’s China Heading?

    Oct 14, 2022 Rana Mitter considers the country’s biggest challenges and opportunities during its leader’s unprecedented third term.

  3. The Manchuria Crisis Revisited
    mitter4_STRAFP via Getty Images_manchuriamukden STR/AFP via Getty Images

    The Manchuria Crisis Revisited

    Sep 16, 2021 Rana Mitter considers the impact of the 1931 false-flag incident – and Japan's subsequent occupation – on today's leaders.

  4. The Everlasting Mao
    op_mitter2_ Tao ZhangGetty Images_mao Tao Zhang/Getty Images

    The Everlasting Mao

    Oct 23, 2020 Rana Mitter reviews recent books on Maoism, many versions of which continue to underpin Chinese politics to this day.

  5. What Next for Trump and Xi?
    op-image-apr-7 Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

    What Next for Trump and Xi?

    Apr 7, 2017 Rana Mitter reviews seven recent books that provide a glimpse of what the future of Sino-US relations may hold in store.

  1. tharoor199_ Sonu MehtaHindustan Times via Getty Images_shahieidgah Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

    Islam on Trial in India

    Shashi Tharoor warns that efforts to replace centuries-old mosques with Hindu temples could trigger communal violence.
  2. reichlin39_da-kukGetty Images_dollarcrypto da-kuk/Getty Images

    Will Crypto Save the Dollar?

    Lucrezia Reichlin asks whether the Trump administration's stablecoin strategy can preserve the greenback's global hegemony.
  3. op_pei3_Hulton-Deutsch CollectionCORBISCorbis via Getty Images_zhouenlai Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis via Getty Images

    The Tragedy of Zhou Enlai

    Minxin Pei

    The reputation of China's longest-serving premier has fared far better than that of the Maoist regime he faithfully served. Zhou's political survival skills enabled him to survive many purges, and even to steer Mao away from potential disasters, but he could not escape the Chairman's cruelty, even at the end of his life.

    reflects on the complicated life and legacy of the renowned diplomat who was Mao Zedong’s dutiful lieutenant.
  4. velasco156_Alex WroblewskiGettyImages_dnc_harris_buttons Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images

    How Liberals Lost America

    Andrés Velasco attributes Donald Trump’s return to power to Democrats’ embrace of both moral neutrality and moral preachiness.
  5. halland10_TERJE PEDERSENNTBAFP via Getty Images_norwayukraineaid Terje Pedersenntb/AFP via Getty Images

    Norway Should Cede Its War Windfall to Ukraine

    Håvard Halland & Knut Anton Mork say that the government's justifications for its war profiteering are disingenuous and short-sighted.
  6. bhide11_Anthony KwanGettyImages_deepseek Anthony Kwan/Getty Images

    Is DeepSeek Really a Threat?

    Amar Bhidé

    If vindicated, DeepSeek’s technology could be to large language models what Nikola Tesla’s breakthroughs with alternating current were to electrification. While it cannot overcome the unavoidable limitations of backward-looking statistical models, it could make their price performance good enough for wider use.

    explains what a purported Chinese AI breakthrough does and does not mean for the industry.
  7. spence180_Picture AllianceGettyImages_germany_annual_economic_report Picture Alliance/Getty Images

    What’s Wrong With Germany’s Economy?

    Michael Spence thinks the country’s prospects depend significantly on closing the digital-technology gap with the US and China.
  8. hausmann119_Christine OlssonGettyImages_northvolt_bankruptcy Christine Olsson/Getty Images

    When Companies Fail to Learn, They Learn to Fail

    Ricardo Hausmann explains how the inability to identify and address knowledge gaps can doom even the most promising projects.
  9. berahab1_LUDOVIC MARINAFP via Getty Images_gabonforest Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images

    How to Make Carbon Pricing Work for Africa

    Rim Berahab & Otaviano Canuto argue that policies must be structured to facilitate, not obstruct, the continent’s shift to renewables.

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