Overview

How do authoritarian regimes deal with pressure from the international community? China's leaders have been subject to decades of international attention, condemnation, resolutions, boycotts, and sanctions over their treatment of human rights. We assume that hearing about all this pressure will make the public more concerned about human rights, and so regimes like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) should do what they can to prevent this from happening. In Hostile Forces, Jamie Gruffydd-Jones argues that while international pressure may indeed embarrass authoritarian leaders on the international stage, it may, in fact, benefit them at home. The targets of human rights pressure, regimes like the Communist Party, are not merely passive recipients, but actors who can proactively shape and deploy that pressure for their own advantage. Taking us through an exploration of the history of the Communist Party's reactions to foreign pressure, from condemnation of Mao's crackdowns in Tibet to outrage at the outbreak of COVID-19, analysis of a novel database drawn from state media archives, as well as multiple survey experiments and hundreds of interviews, Gruffydd-Jones shows that the CCP uses the most 'hostile' pressure strategically - and successfully - to push citizens to view human rights in terms of international geopolitics rather than domestic injustice, and reduce their support for change. The book shines a light on how regimes have learnt to manage, manipulate, and resist foreign pressure on their human rights, and illustrates how support for authoritarian and nationalist policies might grow in the face of a liberal international system.

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9780197643198

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Reviews

In this provocative new study, Jamie Gruffydd-Jones argues that international criticism of human rights violations by the Chinese government have not worked and are unlikely to without a fundamental change of strategy. Everyone interested in the promotion of human rights, in China or elsewhere, needs to read this book and heed its advice. * Bruce Dickson, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University * This study offers a rich and important analysis of why international human rights campaigns that target major authoritarian regimes, like China, have yielded little success. Gruffydd-Jones demonstrates how these campaigns are selectively co-opted by Chinese authorities for propaganda purposes, and how they are often treated with suspicion by the public, especially when the critiques are communicated by China's main rival-the United States. This book is a timely reminder that great power rivalry can overshadow transnational human rights advocacy, and that authoritarian regimes are increasingly adept at diverting international condemnation into a powerful nationalistic sentiment. * Maria Repnikova, Georgia State University * Democracies routinely criticize the human rights practices of autocracies. Is this criticism effective? This important book that should be widely read by policymakers documents that when the US criticizes China alone, Chinese citizens tend to rally around the government. In contrast, multilateral criticism is much more effective in shaping public opinion in China. * Erin Baggott Carter, Stanford University * Jamie Gruffydd-Jones has written an important book examining the Chinese Communist Party's response to criticism on human rights. He explains why, when, and how Beijing permits human rights messages to pierce China's information bubble. His theoretical framework and case studies yield insights into which types of foreign critiques are most likely to trigger reforms and which are more likely to backfire, being used for propaganda purposes by China and other autocratic regimes. * Zack Cooper, American Enterprise Institute *

In this provocative new study, Jamie Gruffydd-Jones argues that international criticism of human rights violations by the Chinese government have not worked and are unlikely to without a fundamental change of strategy. Everyone interested in the promotion of human rights, in China or elsewhere, needs to read this book and heed its advice. * Bruce Dickson, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University * This study offers a rich and important analysis of why international human rights campaigns that target major authoritarian regimes, like China, have yielded little success. Gruffydd-Jones demonstrates how these campaigns are selectively co-opted by Chinese authorities for propaganda purposes, and how they are often treated with suspicion by the public, especially when the critiques are communicated by China's main rival-the United States. This book is a timely reminder that great power rivalry can overshadow transnational human rights advocacy, and that authoritarian regimes are increasingly adept at diverting international condemnation into a powerful nationalistic sentiment. * Maria Repnikova, Georgia State University * Democracies routinely criticize the human rights practices of autocracies. Is this criticism effective? This important book that should be widely read by policymakers documents that when the US criticizes China alone, Chinese citizens tend to rally around the government. In contrast, multilateral criticism is much more effective in shaping public opinion in China. * Erin Baggott Carter, Stanford University * Jamie Gruffydd-Jones has written an important book examining the Chinese Communist Party's response to criticism on human rights. He explains why, when, and how Beijing permits human rights messages to pierce China's information bubble. His theoretical framework and case studies yield insights into which types of foreign critiques are most likely to trigger reforms and which are more likely to backfire, being used for propaganda purposes by China and other autocratic regimes. * Zack Cooper, American Enterprise Institute * A fascinating read. * Choice * In a context of growing criticism of China's human rights violations, Jamie Gruffydd-Jones makes a valuable contribution in analysing the backlash and unintended consequences that this criticism might prompt as well as its impact on Chinese citizens. * Christelle Genoud, Europe-Asia Studies * Hostile Forces is a fascinating book that will appeal to two crowds: China scholars and human rights advocates. Gruffydd-Jones makes a contribution by describing the dilemma of human rights pressure having unintended effects on citizen attitudes. * Paul J. Bolt, Pacific Affairs *

Author Information

Jamie Gruffydd-Jones is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the University of Kent. He received a Doctorate from Princeton University, as well as Masters' and Bachelors' degrees from the University of Oxford. He researches authoritarian politics and nationalism, focussing on China. This research explores how international efforts to change a regime's behaviour influence domestic politics and public opinion, and the causes and consequences of rises in authoritarian and nationalist sentiment. Some of his work has been published in Comparative Political Studies, International Studies Quarterly, Democratization, and Security Studies Journal. He teaches courses on East Asian politics and international relations.

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