Xi Isn't Next Mao, He's Next De Gaulle

The transformation of Xi Jinping is happening before our eyes. With the insertion of Xi Jinping Thought into the Communist Party's constitution and the possibility that a quarter-century consensus on two-term leaders will be ended, it's clear that China will be living with Xi for a long time to come. When trying to make comparisons, it's Mao that comes to mind most naturally (not least as the term Lingxiu, last used for Mao, and before that for Chiang Kai-shek, is being revived for Xi). Vladimir Putin is another parallel. But let me offer another: the former French president, Charles de Gaulle.