post-anniversary reads

Wasserstrom at Foreign Policy on what the CCP learned from the break-up of the communist bloc in Eastern Europe:

As an antidote to a widespread sense of economic privation, a consumer revolution began, minimizing the contrast between the lifestyles enjoyed by the relatively well-off residents in booming mainland cities and their counterparts in capitalist Taiwan. Perhaps most importantly, China made itself less susceptible to the "Polish disease," a term for the cross-class mobilization associated with the Solidarity movement, coined originally in East Germany and eventually made popular in Beijing policy circles.

Now without bias, an explanation over at TAPPED on an alternate reading of the Grand Parade:

Fixated on the military, we missed the tableaux of vibrant floats and well-orchestrated cultural performances. The Shanghai float, for example, showcased its towering skyline and an animated World Expo mascot. Formations and songs were dedicated to themes such as “health care,” “environmental protection,” and “rule of law,” all areas in which the Obama administration hopes China will strengthen in the years to come.

Finally, the mystery and controversy surrounding the lighting of the Empire State Building for this occasion:

No matter who is responsible for the Empire State Building "going Communist," as some have put it, when the spire glows China’s red and yellow, New York City, defined by its most iconic structure, will be giving Mao, Communism, and the People’s Republic of China a big pat on the back.