Prophetic Intelligence Briefings
The Google-China Showdown · February 09, 2010
One of the world’s most rapidly growing companies has threatened to leave
one of the world’s most rapidly growing markets. The internet search engine
giant-Google-has announced that it “would stop censoring search results in
China even if that means it’s forced to leave, after disclosing a
sophisticated cyberattack on the e-mail accounts of advocates of human
rights in the nation.” The attack is largely believed to be the work of
government agents. “Google-China showdown may alter tech game,” SFGate.com,
Jan 17, 2010.
Google had allowed censorship as part of its business model in China,
believing that some internet was better than no internet. Yet, despite
Google’s world dominance in the information market, China is unlikely to
back down from its policy of censoring information for its citizenry.
Google’s frustration symbolizes the frustrations of many Western firms doing
business in China’s burgeoning economy-firms willing to turn a blind eye to
China’s repressive human rights practices because of the profits available
in one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Google’s pullout,
however, may be signaling a new era of soul-searching among Western firms
analyzing business opportunities in China. Are we willing to aid a
repressive human rights abuser on our way to making profits?
But the ultimate queston is whether China can continue to prosper without
becoming free? “History suggests it can’t,” writes Daniel Gross in Newsweek,
January 25, 2010. “.the slow erosion of arbitrary authority-the Reformation,
the Enlightenment, the rise of rights, constitutions, democracy-helped stoke
the capitalist revolution. . without free minds, it’s difficult to have free
markets, and vice versa. Trying to develop economically while controlling
the flow of information has generally been a losing bet. Either such regimes
fail to grow and collapse (the Soviet bloc), or the forces of economic
liberalism ultimately lead to political liberalism.” Ibid.
Totalitarian regimes would do well to review the story of Nebuchadnezzar,
the Babylonian king who tried to use censorship to prolong his absolute
authority. In a dream from God, he saw a large image composed of various
metals, representing world powers in succession. But the proud monarch
wasn’t willing to accept that Babylon, symbolized by the golden head, would
be conquered by an inferior kingdom. So he set about to censor God’s
merciful revelation and constructed a large image like the one in his dream,
yet of solid gold-symbolizing Babylon’s eternal rule. Then he commanded his
subjects to worship this symbol of his absolute authority and his defiance
of God. Despite his efforts, history reveals how Babylon was ultimately
overthrown. See Daniel, chapters 2-5.
