I assume Hong Kongers protesting in recent months have a crystal clear understanding of how/why violence and property damage are absolutely counterproductive to their movement at this stage.
An article was written by a US Army SF officer and published recently at SWJ that relates:
https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/ar...rfare-doctrine
I don’t want to smash square Hong Kong pegs into round Polish Solidarity holes, but the entirely non kinetic and offset support for Solidarity and its success is certainly historical inspiration if not an exact roadmap for Hong Kong.
Is Hong Kong a very rough Asian analog to West Berlin?
Not in terms of economic divide between PRC and HK, but the freedom divide.
However, it also would appear the economic divide between haves and have nots is a considerable issue.
I’m of the belief that PRC/PLA’s greatest threat is from its own people.
The face of techno authoritarianism in China is truly frightening and I suspect it is designed to provide PRC/PLA a shock absorber if they fail to fulfill their contract with the Chinese people of continuously providing a better quality of life and standard of living for Chinese people in exchange for absolute power.
Communist China has not had a recession since Deng ‘s reforms sparked China’s command driven mercantilist economic boom started nearly 40 years ago.
A Chinese recession is inevitable, despite their numerous tools and dry powder to stall it.
This Hong Kong protest movement, with the highest proportional protest participation is a funny thing.
PRC/PLA could decisively crush it(although it would suck up an incredible amount of PLA resources to do so, and destroy PRC/PLA international reputation and economic expansionist plans).
They can, but they can’t.
Sorry for the long post, but PRC discrediting protesters in the eyes of China and the world as bandits / criminals / terrorists would be key terrain for this information war.