UM: China
Kenneth Lieberthal, a China expert on faculty at UM, comments in a New York Times article on the death of Hua Guofeng, the Chinese leader who took over after Mao. “He was more a figure who was there when Chinese politics pivoted than himself being a pivotal figure. He succeeded Mao briefly because he was a guy nobody felt could dominate, so he didn’t set off alarm bells in any camp.” [Source]