Abstract: Internal Security Work / 公安工作

This is an abstract that I’m submitting to the Northwest Forum for Upcoming East Asia Professionals, a graduate student conference happening January 8-9 at the University of Washington. The paper itself will build on research I conducted while at the Long Term Strategy Group, new information made available since then, and more recent research done at the University of Washington.

Internal Security in China:
Preserving the People’s Democratic Dictatorship

China’s internal security apparatus is an embodiment of the persistent historical belief that internal division poses the greatest threat to China’s national security, a “disease of the heart” more dangerous than any external “disease of the skin.” But while China’s leaders have consistently exhibited a heightened sensitivity to domestic security concerns, the objectives of internal security work have changed dramatically over time, as have the structure and composition of internal security forces.

In a series of irregular developments since the early 1920s, the ideology of irreconcilable “struggle” with domestic enemies has given way a focus on resolving “contradictions among the people.” Formerly demonized opponents are now frequently declared to be voicing legitimate complaints against unfortunate circumstances or corrupt local authorities.

However, the complete transformation of China’s domestic security apparatus — from the Communist Party’s political enforcement arm to a Western-style civil police force — has not been fully or consistently realized. Neither is such a transformation the ultimate goal of most Chinese security theorists or the likely outcome of recent trends in security reform.

This paper builds on previous studies of the pluralization of social authority in mainland China by examining the ways in which the PRC’s massive security apparatus is struggling to adapt to China’s ongoing social and political transformation.