A review of Lee Kuan Yew's memoirs covering his transformation of Singapore from third-world city-state to wealthy nation through pragmatic policies, framed as a 'rationalist power fantasy' of someone who successfully implemented sensible governance. Longer summary

This is a review of Lee Kuan Yew's two-volume memoirs covering his life from childhood through 25 years as Prime Minister of Singapore. The first book follows his path from middle-class teenager through WWII Japanese occupation, law school in England, rise in anticolonial politics, and Singapore's complex journey to independence. The second book details how he transformed Singapore from a poor third-world city-state with no natural resources into one of the world's richest countries through pragmatic economic policy, military buildup, massive public housing programs, anti-corruption campaigns, and ruthless focus on stability. The review frames Lee as a 'rationalist power fantasy' - someone who actually succeeded at implementing sensible policies and having them work, while also exploring questions about authoritarianism, his relationship with the decline of the British Empire, and comparisons to figures like Thomas Jefferson and Deng Xiaoping. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander compiles and summarizes reader comments on his article about Xi Jinping, covering various aspects of Xi's rule and Chinese politics. Longer summary

This post highlights comments on Scott Alexander's article about Xi Jinping, covering topics such as Xi's rise to power, censorship in China, anti-corruption efforts, and centralization of power. Commenters discuss the ideological nature of Communist leadership selection, the complexities of censorship in the internet age, and the effects of Xi's anti-corruption campaign. The post also includes miscellaneous observations on historical parallels, psychological analysis of Xi, and cultural differences in rule-following. Shorter summary