GOV 040 Comparative Political Systems

In my educational journey of beginning with studying comparative political systems in Georgetown University in Qatar, I feel as though this class was one of the classes that intellectually challenged me to compare and contrast between political systems. With my background in knowledge of media, I was able to really look at the different approaches to media in different political systems, depending on the type of political party, their intention with their people and the outside world in addition to their diplomatic situation between states.

I feel as though the example of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) political system intrigued me the most. This was due to its complex structure and how much the party presses on disconnecting the local communities from the internalized media. The stress and importance of limiting media during political voting seasons would be to limit any oppositions or petitions against the CCP. One would question how different the party would be if they had allowed for the media to be a part of the congress and part of the electoral system. One individual truly showed a first person perspective of escaping the consequences of not abiding by the communist electoral system. Wan Yanhai was an AIDS activist who was taken from the streets into temporary custody for twelve hours, during the June 4th 1989 Tiananmen square protests and massacre. He tried to sue the government over a contaminated blood scandal and failed, therefore leading to him fleeing China to live in the USA due to the governmental pressures on his activist motives. Another example of not an identity but rather an event, was the 2007 National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. (Branigan, 2010). Delegates were only allowed to talk to the media with the image of transparency, that there is nothing to hide. Yet, there was a requirement that there should only be a friendly image for the party to the outside world. This is the flaw in the moral and ethical integrity of certain media outlets, especially when they are integrated with politics. Even when the party tries to force its image of completely positive intentions forward, there is still evident suspicion of not entire transparency.

Works Cited:

Branigan, T. (2010, May 10). HIV/AIDS activist flees China for US. The Guardian. Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/may/10/aids-activist-flees-china-america