Rural Discontent, Rule of Law and Social Unrest in China: Implications for U.S. Policy

On December 5, 2006, the Freeman Chair in China Studies sponsored a conference entitled “Rural Discontent, Rule of Law and Social Unrest in China: Implications for U.S. Policy.”  The event focused on the recent rise of social unrest in China and featured four experts that discussed the sources, nature, and implications of social unrest.

Carl Minzner has also authored Social Instability in China: Causes, Consequences, and Implications.

Session 1 - Audio (mp3, 1:22:54)
Carl Minzner, Visiting Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow, CSIS
Origins of Chinese Social Unrest

 Social Instability in China: Causes, Consequences, and Implications by Carl Minzner, Council on Foreign Relations Visiting Fellow, CSIS

Kevin O’Brien, Professor of Political Science, Chair of the Center for Chinese Studies, UC Berkeley
Protest Leadership in Rural China

Session 2 - Audio (mp3, 1:11:56)
Ben Liebman, Associate Professor of Law, Director of the Center for Chinese Legal Studies, Columbia Law School
China’s Courts: Restricted Reform?

Murray Scot Tanner, Senior Political Scientist, RAND Corporation
Implications of Chinese Social Unrest for the United States

The keynote speaker was Dennis Wilder, Senior Director for Asian Affairs, National Security Council, who spoke off the record.