December 14, 2007: About half the troops in the
Chinese army believe there is going to be a war between China and Taiwan. At
least this is the case in units that have undergone a new education program.
China, like all communist states, has a policy of indoctrinating their soldiers
with "correct thinking." This extends to, in effect, replacing the chaplains
with political officers. Their job is to watch out for disloyalty, and
supervise the indoctrination (referred to as a "mental training.") Such programs
are nothing new in China, but new techniques have been developed that are
supposed to be more effective in getting the official message across, and
accepted. The new training also makes more troops willing to turn in fellow
soldiers suspected of espionage or "incorrect thought."
All this is nothing new. Since antiquity, the most
effective commanders saw to it that their troops believed strongly in why they
were fighting. This comes down to us in references to generals who were good
public speakers, particularly when it came to rousing their troops to do their
best in battle. During World War II, and since, the United States has had
information programs that attempt to get all the troops to understand what's at
stake. These efforts have become more difficult since the 1960s, when
television, and later the Internet, provided more powerful platforms, that
often delivered contrary messages. This is what China is most intent on
counteracting.
