#64 -- The Efficient Counter Intel Purge -- US vs China
The lights are on China Watchers....
In China there are cyclical and highly selective purges of leadership under the disguise of graft and corruption. One party systems encourage targeted removal of opposing personalities and ideas. The power struggles go back and forth ever changing the course of history for good and bad.
The recent transition of administration in the US got me thinking. The media focuses on the dollars spent, programs supported, or the broken processes. The money, number of programs and the out dated processes are of enormous value to foreign adversaries and enemies of the state. They are used to gather intel, influence operational decisions and motivate people to do stupid things.
The fight we see today is not about the money spent. It's about cleaning the kitchen of the bugs that have been eating the food. The purge allows a quick cleaning of spies, useful idiots, and nefarious actors. Our muti-party and governance systems allow this to happen. Foreign governments are scrambling now that the US system is changing. Moles are no longer in place or at the table. The manipulation of the system by insiders on both sides has shifted. The last large purge in China of foreign influence, spies and agents came with the COVID-19 shutdowns. At it’s modern peak, Shanghai(~25M) had over ~600,000 foreigners(“unofficially”). This number has been slashed by ~80% since.
What is at Stake
If you do not purge the system, the food continues to rot. Processes, technology and people all have a shelf life. What we have now is an opportunity to compete for the future. Yes, much is a stake. Our livelihood, our treasure, our way of life.
For both private and public sectors, a new business model will surface. A new technology will change how we live. New leaders will guide us. If we do not change our systems to allow for new technologies, people and processes, we will be overtaken by the very systems which created our success.
Change Brings Opportunity
In many ways, doing business with the US Government is very similar to large corporations expanding across global markets. The US Government has 15 executive departments and over 400 agencies. In fact, large corporations have many similarities to bloated government bureaucracy. They include too many programs to solve perceived problems, blockers within the management ranks who do not want to rock the boat, and leadership unwilling to take risk for whatever reason. The difference with government and large free market corporations are the accountability mechanisms.
So the question which needs to be asked…..
Are you a blocker? Are you a connector? Are you a risk taker? Are you a change agent?
Tyler
