Working Papers

• An Analytical Comparison of the Theoretical Parallels in Arendt's and Proudhon's Conceptualizations of Federalism: A Study on Treaty-based Governance, Minority Rights, Sovereignty, and Institutional Innovation.  

      (Progress: 80%, draft completed, waiting for polishing) 

      Lingkai Kong & Devrim Sezer   

Abstract: This article delves into the intellectual convergences and divergences between the political philosophies of Hannah Arendt and the anarchist tradition, epitomized by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, with a particular focus on their conceptions of council and federal systems. The analysis commences with an exposition of Arendt's and Proudhon's respective interpretations of federalism, juxtaposing the roles of councils and associations within the federal construct. The study identifies four key areas of theoretical alignment: their advocacy for a treaty-based federalism, a shared commitment to safeguarding minority rights, a common critique of Rousseauian popular sovereignty, and an emphasis on local autonomy and institutional innovation. The examination reveals that the rich, yet underexplored, legacy of anarchist thought provides a novel lens through which to understand Arendt's council system, offering insights into the potential for a more participatory and egalitarian form of governance.

• Proudhon's Mutualist Agro-industrial Federation and his Philosophy of Communicative Justice

      (Progress: 80%, draft completed, waiting for polishing) 

      Lingkai Kong & Devrim Sezer 

Abstract: This article meticulously examines the foundational elements of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon's federalist doctrine and the philosophical underpinnings that inform his political thought, and delineates the structural composition of Proudhon's envisioned federation, which unites laborers and peasants, with a particular emphasis on the seamless integration of economic and administrative functions. Proudhon's political federalism, with his concept of economic mutualism, reveals a holistic framework designed to address the socio-economic challenges of his time. Set against the tumultuous context of the French Revolution, Proudhon's federalist proposal is analyzed in light of his profound engagement with Rousseau's theory of sovereignty. Departing from Rousseau's model, Proudhon's philosophical approach, anchored in communicative justice, envisions the construction of a society predicated on open, contract-based collaboration. It uncovers the implicit contract-based philosophical system that underlies his federalism and offers a theoretical foundation for the evolution of contemporary federalism in response to the intricate dynamics of pluralistic societies. The discourse presented in this article provides an in-depth exploration of Proudhon's underappreciated contributions to federalist research.

• The Neglected Understanding of Natural Law: Althusius' Theory of Symbiosis

      (Progress: Under Review)

      Lingkai Kong & Zeyuan Wang 

Abstract: The long-standing tradition of natural law in Christian theology offers a unique perspective on the understanding of rights and social communities. In the first half of this article, the authors introduce the interpretations of natural law by Heraclitus, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Thomas Aquinas, as well as Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau. Although these theorists have divergent views on natural law, they generally center on instrumental rationality and understand how individuals live within collectives within the scope of distributive justice—a philosophy that acknowledges a top-down distribution mechanism of power. There is little recognition that associations, communities, and families, as social institutions with their own fundamental purposes, are necessary forms for building connections between the state and individuals. Then, in the transitional part of this article, the theory of Pufendorf is introduced. Although different from previous theorists, Pufendorf's natural law theory introduces the concept of sociability, but it still does not completely break away from the advocacy of sovereign authority and has inherent contradictions. Finally, this article focuses on an overlooked political theorist and theologian, Johannes Althusius. His natural law is based on a non-sovereign theory of symbiosis, which infers broader associations from the natural family structure, ultimately forming a multi-level, intermediary federal structure guided by the principle of subsidiarity. In Althusius's view, the emergence of politics and government is not a violation of nature, nor a tool of governance, but is deeply rooted in the natural order and extends it. Politics is not delineated from natural law but generated out of it.

• The Erosion of the Spirit of Primitive Federalism of Confucianism

      (Progress: Submitting) (Preprints Version 2: https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.0790.v2)

      Lingkai Kong 

Abstract: This study examines the evolution and eventual decline of the spirit of primitive federalism within Confucianism, tracing its trajectory from the time of the Duke of Zhou and Confucius to the significant reinterpretations by Dong Zhongshu. The Duke of Zhou's establishment of a confederation-like system and the "Zhou ritual norms" laid the groundwork for a political structure that embraced diversity and distributed power among states, reflecting a proto-federalist concept. Confucius's teachings continued this legacy, advocating for a return to the systems of the Duke's era, where both the central government and local states shared responsibilities and rights. The crux of this study lies within its fourth section, which narrates a tale of transformation happened under Emperor Wu of Han, where Dong Zhongshu distorted the original Confucianism and reinterpreted it as a centralized ideology. In Confucian theory, the shift involved the suppression of alternative philosophies, the establishment of Confucianism as the state's dominant ideology, and a reinterpretation of Confucianism that supported an centralized framework and cultural assimilation. In political practice, he re-envisioned the role of feudal lords as administrative extensions of a centralized government, effectively eroding local autonomy and shifting towards a unified, centralized system. Under the auspices of political authority, Confucian theory was transformed from a federalist theory promoting diversity, inclusivity and advocating decentralization, to one that legitimized a centralized and unified system.

• Personal Principle and Cultural Autonomy: Karl Renner's Non-Territorial Federalism Responding to Multinational Coexistence

      (Progress: Writing) (SocArXiv Preprint Version 1: https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/r7hsm)

      Lingkai Kong 

Abstract: Current federalism research is dominated by the successful American model, focusing on a territorialized, mono-national constitutional federalism, where individuals of different nations within a specific territorial scope are jointly subject to and protected by the state. However, this is not the only way federalism can address the coexistence of multiple nations. By reviewing historical figures and theoretical narratives, as well as incorporating contemporary federal theorists on plurality and multiracial coexistence, this study seeks to shed light on a non-territorialized alternative arrangement. Once, facing the complex national coexistence within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austrian Marxist Karl Renner proposed the personal principle and cultural autonomy, attempting to reshape the federal structure of the Austro-Hungarian Empire through a non-territorial arrangement. Renner reorganizes national communities as legal entities to act as intermediaries between individuals and the state, and to implement non-territorial economic, political, and cultural management for individuals of their own nations. This study also explores the model's non-territorial character, its treaty-based character, and its embodiment of federalism as norm. In Renner's view, this attempt could achieve a balance, avoiding both the oppression of minorities by the majority within territorial structures and the centrifugal tendencies of minority groups within specific territorial scopes. Although Renner's federalist reforms ultimately failed, they still provide valuable guidance for dealing with the political reality of multinational coexistence today, demonstrating the inherent potential of a non-territorial, pluralistic, treaty-based federalism.

• The Sacred Federation of Tibet and the Mongol Empire

      (Progress: Under Review) 

      Lingkai Kong

Abstract: This article re-examines the history of the Mongol Empire's rule over Tibet, analyzing the complex institutional and religious relationships between the Mongol Empire and Tibet from a innovative perspective. We find that, unlike its military conquests in other parts of the world, the Mongol Empire actually formed a kind of federation with Tibet based on Buddhism. The Mongol Empire embraced Tibetan Buddhism as its state religion and venerated the head of the Sakya school as a spiritual guide. Concurrently, the establishment of the Bureau of Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs in the Mongol capital served as a nominal governing body over Tibet, while in reality, it ensured a significant degree of autonomy for the region. Furthermore, the leaders of the Mongol Empire felt endowed with the legitimacy to conquer the world after being blessed by Tibetan Buddhism as Mahakala, the dark incarnation of Avalokiteshvara. In addition, the article also provides a detailed account of the prosperity of Buddhism within the Mongol Empire, in terms of its economic, artistic, and philosophical aspects. The discovery of this study is of great significance, since it not only reinterprets the historical evolution of the Mongol Empire and Tibet, but also allows us to observe the status of Tibetan Buddhism in the Mongol Empire from a new perspective, and to explore the unexpected institutional innovations of federation reflected in the Mongol-Tibetan relationship.

• Fragile Democratization When Military Forces Fear Losing Control over Transition: The Cases of Thailand and Myanmar 

      (Progress: Under Review) (APSA Preprints Version 2: https://doi.org/10.33774/apsa-2024-r8l3w-v2)

      Lingkai Kong   

Abstract: The journey towards democracy is fraught with fragility and volatility. The military governments and political democratization processes in Thailand and Myanmar have been studied extensively, but there is a lack of research that reveals how the military governments played what role at key points in the process. With an introduction to the basic political realities of these two countries, and figures and tables to compare the seats held by the military and democratic camps in the last few elections, the author demonstrate the evolution of pro-military and pro-democratic parties in both countries. It is found that: first, the politics in both countries historically were heavily influenced by military forces. Second, in the recent past, the military in both countries actually tolerated a certain degree of democratization. Finally, when the military found that the democratization process was beyond their control, or more accurately, when democratic forces in military-controlled parliaments gained a large advantage to the point where they could potentially destabilize the military's substantial power, the military tended to intervene to slow down that democratization process. The study reveals the key node that may lead to the fragility and volatility of the democratization process: when the military feels the anxiety of losing power.

• Rescue or Manufacture Crisis? Analyzing the Risks of Government-Driven Stock Market Booms in China

     (Progress: Under Review) (Preprints Version 1: https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.0715.v1)

Lingkai Kong & Yunxin Chang

Abstract: Due to the Chinese government's strong monetary stimulus initiative, the Chinese stock market saw a recent surge. Using a comparative analysis methodology, this study examines the stock stimulus by the Chinese government during 2008 and 2015 utilizing monetary and real estate policy. In the context of the economic pressures of 2024, the government has again employed the similar strategy to catalyze a significant uptick in the stock market. Such short-term policy poses huge risks, as the potential for a stock market bubble detached from fundamental values, could precipitate a subsequent market collapse. In the second half of the article we analyze the government's motivation for this bailout and the potential imbalance it could bring to the Chinese economy. The government's market stimulus may be aimed at providing financial support to underperforming state-owned enterprises. The measures to stimulate the stock market could interlink the bond market and banking sector with the equity, inciting broader systemic risks. Furthermore, the investors' skepticism towards China's marketization reforms will also intensify. Overall, we believe that the current round of stock market stimulus is not sustainable and leaves the door for systematic risks.

Publications

Books 

Kong, L., & Akpinar, M. (2023). The Philosophical Reviews of International Politics. Istanbul Institute of Political Strategy. ISBN: 978-1-7392712-0-6.

Wen Zhongzi (2023). Classic of Self-restraint: Ancient Chinese Classic on How to Stop Pursuing Power at the Right Time to Preserve Oneself, "Zhi Xue - The Doctrine of Stopping" (L. Kong, Ed. & Trans. to English). Istanbul Institute of Political Strategy. ISBN: 978-1-7392712-5-1.

Lai Junchen (2023). Classic of Accusation: Handbook of Ancient Chinese Conspiracies and Frames, "Luo Zhi Jing" (L. Kong, Ed. & Trans. to English). Istanbul Institute of Political Strategy. ISBN: 978-1-7392712-4-4.

Sun Tzu (2023). The Art of War by Sun Tzu (L. Kong, Ed. & Trans. to English). Istanbul Institute of Political Strategy. ISBN: 978-1-7392712-2-0.

Althusius, J. (2023). Politics Methodically Set Forth and Illustrated with Sacred and Profane Examples (L. Kong, Ed. & Trans. to Chinese). Open Democracy & Stettbach Press. ISBN: 978-1-7393257-2-5. [In Chinese: 约翰内斯·阿尔图修斯 (2023). 政治：系统地阐述，以神圣和世俗的例⼦说明 (孔令恺，编辑 & 翻译为中文). 开放民主&施泰巴赫出版社。ISBN: 978-1-7393257-2-5]

Proudhon, P.-J. (2023). The Principle Of Federation and the Need to Reconstitute the Party of Revolution (L. Kong, Ed. & Trans. to Chinese). Open Democracy & Stettbach Press. ISBN: 978-1-7393257-4-9. [In Chinese: 皮埃尔-约瑟夫·蒲鲁东 (2023). 联邦原则，和重建革命党的必要性 (孔令恺，编辑 & 翻译为中文). 开放民主&施泰巴赫出版社。ISBN: 978-1-7393257-4-9]

Ilyenkov, E. V. (2023). Leninist Dialectics and the Metaphysics of Positivism (L. Kong & J. Ma, Eds. & Trans. to Chinese). Karl-Marx Verlag. ISBN: 978-3-9825536-0-3. [In Chinese: 埃瓦尔德·瓦西里耶维奇·伊林柯夫 (2023). 列宁主义辩证法和经验主义形而上学 (孔令恺&罗托，编辑 & 翻译为中文). 卡尔·马克思出版社。ISBN: 978-3-9825536-0-3.]

Journal Articles

Kong, L., & Chang, Y. (2022). The impulse response of domestic and foreign interest rate in output, price, exchange rate model, a deconstructed derivation and economic calibration of vector error correction model. Journal of Mathematical Finance, 12(4), 646–660. https://doi.org/10.4236/jmf.2022.124034

Editorial Responsibility

    Editor in Cheif:  Journal of Politics and Strategy (JOPS). Visit our journal Here, or visit https://jops-home.com/ojs/index.php/journal

Social Activities

    Nov. 2023, Moderator, Türkiye-China Energy Dialogue Forum (link).

    Jan. 2023, Moderator, 2023 Chinese New Year Cultural Events (link).