How the Party Commands the Gun: The Foreign–Domestic Threat Dilemma in China

AJPS study: "in periods of high domestic threat, [CCP] party leaders promote unusually large numbers of officers with personal ties to the top leader. In periods of foreign threat, on the other hand, leaders are more likely to promote officers with prior combat experience."

User smurfyjenkins, in the International Relations subreddit, 22 Oct 2022