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18 UCLA Pac. Basin L.J. 98 (2000)
The Dot.Com(munist) Revolution: Will the Internet Bring Democracy to China

handle is hein.journals/uclapblj18 and id is 108 raw text is: THE DOT.COM(MUNIST) REVOLUTION: WILL THE INTERNET BRING DEMOCRACY TO CHINA? S. David Cooper* INTRODUCTION There is a new revolution beginning to stir in the last great country still enamored with the communist ideal. China is one of the world's largest countries by land mass and its largest country by population, and it has waded into the deep, unknown waters of the Internet. China's leaders are taking a huge risk. In a country that could claim virtually any information as a state se- cret, the greatest tool ever invented for the promotion of free speech seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Some may think that China has signed a deal with the devil-sold its soul for the financial rewards promised by the Internet. If a free market soci- ety is the devil and communism is China's soul, then they may be right. This paper is not intended to be a technical dissertation on the Internet. For a good discussion of the history of the Internet and how it works, see Scott Feir's comment, Regulations Restrict- ing Internet Access: Attempted Repair of Rupture in China's Great Wall Restraining the Free Exchange of Ideas.' This paper will, however, review the challenges faced by China in its deci- sion to pursue Internet technology and markets. It will also in- vestigate the possible effects that an Internet society will have on the future of communism in China. The first part will address the benefits to China of pursuing Internet connections. It will ad- dress competition with the West and China's resultant challenges with the country's morale. The second part of the paper will dis- cuss the potential pitfalls that await China as a result of the In- * J.D., University of Miami School of Law; B.S., University of Central Flor- ida; Currently pursuing L.L.M. in Real Property Development at the University of Miami School of Law. 1. Scott E. Feir, Regulations Restricting Internet Access: Attempted Repair of Rupture in China's Great Wall Restraining the Free Exchange of Ideas, 6 PAc. RiM L. & POL'Y J. 361 (1997).

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