Reverse Course

In post-Mao China when Chinese debate on how to reorient their modernization political neo- conservatism has risen rapidly against liberal democracy since the early 1990s. This work analyzes its origins development arguments and political consequence. The political neo-conservatism includes various thoughts: neo-authoritarianism statism nationalism post-modernism post-colonialism third way China exceptionalism neo-Confucianism and new leftism. The political consequence of the rise of political neo-conservatism as opposing radical democratization is to maintain non-democracy regime in China. It is not only a dramatic shift in Chinese ideology and politics since mid-1970s but also a counter-case both to world politics so- called third wave of democratization and to the popular theory regarding regime transition in comparative study. This case research on China strongly confirms the role of ideas in making regime transition. The author Ph. D. in comparative politics of Columbia University is a leading figure in both intellectual and political circle he has experienced the major political events in post-Mao China.