Dancing on Bones: History and Power in China, Russia, and North Korea

Drawing on first-hand, on-the-ground reporting, Dancing on Bones argues that if we want to understand where these three nuclear powers are heading, we must understand the stories they are telling their citizens about the past. History didn't end. Democracy didn't triumph. America's leading role in the world is no longer assured.Instead, autocrats and populist strongmen are on the rise, and the global order established after 1945 is under attack.This is the phenomenon Katie Stallard tackles in Dancing on Bones, as she examines how the leaders of China, Russia, and North Korea manipulate the past to serve the present and secure the future of authoritarian rule. Russia has annexed Crimea, started a war in eastern Ukraine, and repeatedly massed troops on its borders.China has stepped up war games near Taiwan and militarized the South China Sea, while North Korea has resumed missile testing and blood-curdling threats against the United States.These three states consistently top lists of thr