Use propaganda and false promises to manipulate the public. Gain trust through feigned goodwill. Once dependent, abruptly revoke freedoms.
Example: China's initial push for economic reforms in the late 20th century lured foreign investments and boosted the country's economy. Yet, despite hopes for political liberalization, the CCP maintains strict control on freedoms of speech, assembly, and the press.
Countermeasures: Remain skeptical of claims. Maintain networks and alternatives. Keep some autonomy.
Attack vulnerable groups like minorities and dissidents to force obedience from the wider public. Repress minorities and critics to intimidate the wider populace into obedience.
Example: The treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, with reports of mass detentions and forced labor camps, serves as a deterrent for other minorities or groups from challenging CCP rule.
Countermeasures: Build diverse solidarity networks. Call out injustices regardless of target. Unite against divide-and-conquer tactics.
Use collaborators and traitors to undermine solidarity. Turn the people against each other. Incite people to inform on each other to fracture social bonds.
Example: The Social Credit System in China encourages citizens to report on others' "misdeeds," thus creating an atmosphere of distrust among neighbors and friends.
Countermeasures: Refuse participation in social monitoring. Build community locally. Reject complicity.
Wear down resistance gradually with constant pressure and induced despair. Gradually tighten control and induce despair until resistance fades.
Example: The ever increasing censorship and monitoring of online platforms in China, which curbs any form of dissent or criticism against the CCP.
Countermeasures: Pace yourself for longterm struggle. Maintain hope and meaning. Support those under pressure.
Exploit crises, disasters and fear to seize greater control. Manufacture crises to justify power seizures under guise of restoring order.
Example: Using any public discontent or protests as a reason to increase police presence and enact stricter laws.
Countermeasures: Remain calm during turmoil. Verify information. Organize community led response efforts.
Misdirect with feints then use surprise crackdowns. Misdirect then suddenly crack down on critics where attention is lacking.
Example: The CCP might highlight foreign issues or internal achievements while simultaneously cracking down on activists and journalists.
Countermeasures: Decentralize organization. Employ varied, unpredictable tactics. Rapidly adapt.
Fabricate threats and enemies to justify repression. Invent threats and conflicts to expand social controls.
Example: The portrayal of Western ideologies as a threat to Chinese society, leading to tighter controls on academic institutions and media.
Countermeasures: Demand evidence. Think critically. Refuse to demonize imagined "enemies."
Disguise authoritarian creep behind façade of progress. Tout development while quietly expanding authoritarian reach.
Example: While China promotes its Belt and Road Initiative as an economic development strategy, critics argue it's also a means for China to exert political influence over participating countries.
Countermeasures: Scrutinize laws and policies for slippage in rights protections. Push back against overreach.
Wait for internal divisions to weaken social cohesion before asserting control. Stoke divisions to keep population fragmented and weak.
Example: Emphasizing Han Chinese superiority to sow division among China's many ethnic groups.
Countermeasures: See humanity in those unlike you. Build bridges. Unite around shared interests.
Project benignity while preparing to strike at critics. Falsely project benevolence while preparing to eliminate opponents.
Example: The CCP's handling of the 2019 Hong Kong protests, where promises of dialogue were followed by arrests of key activists.
Countermeasures: Judge by actions not words. Assume best intentions but prepare for worst. Verify, don't trust.
Make superficial concessions to protect core totalitarian powers. Make superficial reforms to quell dissent while retaining core power.
Example: Announcements of certain relaxations in internet censorship, only for them to be temporary or applied inconsistently, while the larger structure of censorship remains intact.
Countermeasures: Push for transparency in reforms. Collaborate internationally to apply pressure. Use technology to bypass restrictions.
Capitalize on any excuse to expand political and social control. For instance, using international disputes or economic downturns as reasons to tighten domestic controls and rally nationalistic sentiments.
Example: After international disputes, there may be a surge in domestic propaganda to bolster the national image and suppress dissenting views.
Countermeasures: Stay informed from diverse sources. Promote peace and diplomacy. Challenge propaganda with facts.
Probe with disruptive acts to gauge reactions and find weaknesses. Using small-scale tests to see how the international community or domestic population will react before implementing larger, more drastic measures.
Example: Implementing a new policy in a single city or region to gauge reactions before rolling it out nationwide.
Countermeasures: Coordinate responses with allies. Use grassroots organization to push back against test measures.
Resurrect nationalist propaganda and historical grievances to bolster legitimacy. Reviving historical events or figures to foster a sense of national pride and divert attention from current issues.
Example: Using historical events where China was wronged by foreign powers as a rallying point during times of internal strife.
Countermeasures: Promote accurate historical education. Engage in diplomatic dialogues to resolve lingering issues.
Entice with economic prosperity and illusions of freedom before reimposing control. Offering economic incentives or superficial freedoms to appease the population or foreign critics, only to later tighten controls once reliance has been established.
Example: Opening up certain sectors for foreign investment with promises of market access, only to later change the rules or impose restrictions.
Countermeasures: Diversify economic partnerships. Promote rule of law and contractual obligations.
Allow managed dissent as a release valve while preparing for eventual suppression. Give the appearance of granting freedoms or easing restrictions temporarily, to later rein them in more effectively.
Example: Permitting certain protest movements or discussions to understand the sentiments of the populace, then clamping down once intelligence has been gathered.
Countermeasures: Stay vigilant and organized. Use periods of openness to strengthen networks and platforms.
Grant limited economic freedoms hoping to gain leverage for later rescission. Offering potential economic opportunities, but with strings attached or with the potential for retraction.
Example: Offering incentives for foreign companies to set up in China, but maintaining state control over key aspects of their operations.
Countermeasures: Ensure clear contractual agreements. Collaborate with entities that uphold freedom and equity.
Co-opt elites to more easily control regular citizens. Align with or coerce influential figures in society to more effectively exert influence over the wider population.
Example: Making partnerships with major tech companies or influential entrepreneurs to further the state's interests.
Countermeasures: Uphold principles of independence and autonomy. Be wary of too-close affiliations with governing bodies.
Slowly erode economic autonomy and increase dependence on the state. Gradually shift economic dynamics to create greater reliance on state-controlled entities.
Example: Strengthening state-owned enterprises at the expense of private enterprises, ensuring greater control over the economy.
Countermeasures: Support independent businesses. Advocate for economic policies that uphold autonomy and diversification.
Spread misinformation to create confusion and discredit critics. Disseminate misleading narratives or information to muddle the truth and weaken opposition.
Example: Using state-controlled media to push narratives that detract from or misrepresent genuine issues raised by critics.
Countermeasures: Rely on diverse and trusted sources of information. Promote media literacy and critical thinking.
Cultivate emergency networks and resources in case power is lost. Establish contingency plans and networks to retain influence even if there's a perceived loss of power.
Example: Setting up alternative communication networks or strategic alliances in case of international pressure or internal dissent.
Countermeasures: Be prepared with decentralized networks and alternative platforms. Strengthen international collaborations.
Once power is obtained, eliminate remaining pockets of dissent. Expand surveillance. Ensure any potential threats or oppositions are isolated and dealt with once a solid grip on power is achieved.
Example: Implementation of widespread surveillance systems and social credit scores to monitor and control the populace.
Countermeasures: Use encrypted communication tools. Promote digital privacy and rights advocacy.
Adopt select external ideas to undermine traditional values and social bonds. Embrace certain foreign concepts or technologies, not out of genuine interest, but to weaken or destabilize traditional systems or beliefs.
Example: Adoption of certain Western technologies or business practices, but with the ultimate goal of using them to strengthen state control.
Countermeasures: Maintain cultural and historical education. Advocate for genuine international collaboration without ulterior motives.
Import technologies and infrastructure, then restrict access and turn against the populace. Bring in external advancements for national growth, but ensure that they can be controlled or manipulated to serve state interests.
Example: Bringing in internet technology and platforms but then implementing the Great Firewall and strict online censorship.
Countermeasures: Support open-source technologies. Collaborate internationally to ensure technology serves the public good.
Subvert institutions from within through bribery and co-optation. Quietly erode the integrity of institutions by placing loyalists in key positions or corrupting processes from the inside.
Example: Influencing academic institutions to propagate state-approved narratives and suppress critical voices.
Countermeasures: Foster transparency in institutional operations. Uphold checks and balances.
Make an example of minor dissent to deter major dissent. Punish or vilify small-scale dissenters or issues to send a message to larger potential threats.
Example: Harsh sentencing for minor online criticisms to deter wider online dissent.
Countermeasures: Solidarity in the face of repression. International advocacy for freedom of expression.
Use unpredictability to keep critics defensive and off-balance. Behave erratically or make unexpected moves to keep opposition uncertain and constantly reacting.
Example: Unpredictable foreign policy moves that create a sense of instability, making it harder for critics to form a consistent response.
Countermeasures: Stay informed and adaptive. Maintain consistent principles while being flexible in strategy.
Allow small freedoms then revoke them to break hope for real reform. Offer a sense of progress and freedom, only to suddenly retract those allowances, leaving the populace demoralized and disoriented.
Example: Introducing limited economic reforms or freedoms, and then retracting or heavily regulating them once they gain popularity.
Countermeasures: Continual advocacy for genuine reforms. Document and communicate instances of state backtracking.
Conceal systemic decay with selective evidence of vitality. Hide underlying issues or decay within the system by showcasing superficial achievements or innovations.
Example: Emphasizing mega-infrastructure projects or technological innovations while ignoring underlying social or economic inequalities.
Countermeasures: Promote investigative journalism. Encourage public discourse on deeper systemic issues.
Quietly dominate cultural, economic, and political spheres. Slowly but surely assert dominance in various sectors, turning from a participant or newcomer into the one who sets the rules.
Example: Gradually increasing influence in international organizations or forums, turning from a participant to a leading voice.
Countermeasures: Encourage multilateral decision-making. Advocate for balanced representation in global forums.
Seduce prominent critics to blunt their opposition. Use allure, rewards, or positions to neutralize or turn potential critics into allies.
Example: Offering lucrative deals or positions to outspoken critics or potential adversaries, thereby silencing them or bringing them into the fold.
Countermeasures: Maintain principles over short-term gains. Promote transparency in dealings with the state.
Open economy for foreign investment, then close it again once local industry develops. Initially embrace globalization and foreign investment to develop domestic capacity, only to later protect and favor local industries.
Example: Encouraging foreign tech investments and then supporting domestic competitors while imposing regulations on foreign firms.
Countermeasures: Advocate for fair trade practices. International cooperation to ensure equal market access.
Turn factions against each other so all look to ruler for stability. Amplify existing disagreements or differences within the population, ensuring they turn to the central power for guidance and stability.
Example: Amplifying regional or ethnic differences to ensure loyalty to the central government as a source of stability.
Countermeasures: Promote dialogue and understanding among different groups. Community-building initiatives.
Stage calamities to demand sacrifices from the population for security. Create or exaggerate threats, causing the public to willingly give up freedoms for perceived safety.
Example: Exaggerating external threats to justify internal crackdowns or surveillance expansions.
Countermeasures: Stay informed from diverse sources. Demand evidence for claimed threats. Advocate for proportional security measures.
Keep opponents off-balance with an unpredictable mix of coercion and repression. Use a combination of methods and strategies to confuse and deter opposition, ensuring no single method can be predicted or fully countered.
Example: Switching between open repression, propaganda, economic incentives, and other methods to stifle opposition.
Countermeasures: Stay coordinated and adaptable. Build broad-based alliances to counter varied tactics. Promote transparency and accountability.
Make temporary concessions to quell outrage while keeping power intact long term. When faced with overwhelming opposition or crises, make apparent concessions or retreats, only to later reclaim these once the situation is more favorable.
Example: Temporarily rolling back an unpopular law or policy in the face of protests, only to reintroduce it later in a modified form.
Countermeasures: Maintain vigilance even after apparent victories. Ensure changes are institutionalized and not easily reversed. Continuous public engagement and oversight.