I know this should be in the book section below, and I'm not trying to open up an argument on the pros or cons of our political systems or such, but this book is the best informational text on the subject that I've ever read. I teach a course on China and East Asia, and have been conducting a fair amount of research for a while now. No, I'm not a world renowned expert on the region, but I believe I have better than average knowledge of East Asia. This book gave more insight and information (especially behind the scenes negotiations and such) and more succinctly synopses Chinese history, culture, perspectives on the world and how they fit in than any ten books I've read on the subject. On China by Henry Kissinger.
As National Security Adviser and Secretary of State for two presidents and particularly as Nixon's Secretary of State, I always thought him more honest and credible than most in those administrations. But this book puts him (and I must admit, Nixon) in a new light. We (or at least "I") was so wrapped up in the downside of the Vietnam War and Nixon's quirks that I never saw him as a very capable statesman. But in international affairs, and especially at that time in the Cold War, Nixon did a good job of establishing contacts with China after two decades of no contact of any kind, fighting a war over Korea, major ideological differences and numerous other conflicts. This book may give you a better insight into what really went on behind the scenes and what is still happening/evolving to this day.
Not a cheap paperback (about $40) but a great read. A few bits of very generalized info. I've gleaned from it:
-China thinks in terms of centuries and millenniums, not just decades, they may make concessions or actions that seem odd or unproductive at the time, but two hundred years later pan out the way they hoped, understanding Confucius' thought is essential in understanding many of their perspectives;
-China seems concerned with what's going in internally or on their borders, but seldom ventured beyond their own borders or adjoining countries, they never felt that their culture and governmental systems were applicable to others, so they never tried to export them around the world; quite different than our perspectives on politics, government, religion, or related thought that we believe are applicable to all humanity;
-From the early 1960s through the mid-1970s, while we saw communism as a world wide, connected monolith, China was actually much more afraid of the Soviets than they were were of us, and just when Nixon wanted to try to make contact with them (in an effort to see if they could be used to isolate the USSR) Mao wanted to contact and perhaps develop relations with the U.S. (in an effort to keep the USSR at bay);
-For much of this time, the Soviets had more troops along the Sino-Soviet border than they had facing the NATO countries in the West;
-Mao's concept of "continuous revolution" was almost the opposite of the Soviet perspective of "peaceful coexistence" and they were irreconcilable to each other;
-Mao much preferred to work with right wing (Republican) governments in the U.S. than Democratic, he joked with Nixon that he "voted" for him;
As it's apparent that they will be a major player in our world for some time to come, I would recommend this book. It's also the best expose on the rules of protocol and the behind the scenes meetings and agreements that surround almost every international meeting or announcement we see today.
Natch
As National Security Adviser and Secretary of State for two presidents and particularly as Nixon's Secretary of State, I always thought him more honest and credible than most in those administrations. But this book puts him (and I must admit, Nixon) in a new light. We (or at least "I") was so wrapped up in the downside of the Vietnam War and Nixon's quirks that I never saw him as a very capable statesman. But in international affairs, and especially at that time in the Cold War, Nixon did a good job of establishing contacts with China after two decades of no contact of any kind, fighting a war over Korea, major ideological differences and numerous other conflicts. This book may give you a better insight into what really went on behind the scenes and what is still happening/evolving to this day.
Not a cheap paperback (about $40) but a great read. A few bits of very generalized info. I've gleaned from it:
-China thinks in terms of centuries and millenniums, not just decades, they may make concessions or actions that seem odd or unproductive at the time, but two hundred years later pan out the way they hoped, understanding Confucius' thought is essential in understanding many of their perspectives;
-China seems concerned with what's going in internally or on their borders, but seldom ventured beyond their own borders or adjoining countries, they never felt that their culture and governmental systems were applicable to others, so they never tried to export them around the world; quite different than our perspectives on politics, government, religion, or related thought that we believe are applicable to all humanity;
-From the early 1960s through the mid-1970s, while we saw communism as a world wide, connected monolith, China was actually much more afraid of the Soviets than they were were of us, and just when Nixon wanted to try to make contact with them (in an effort to see if they could be used to isolate the USSR) Mao wanted to contact and perhaps develop relations with the U.S. (in an effort to keep the USSR at bay);
-For much of this time, the Soviets had more troops along the Sino-Soviet border than they had facing the NATO countries in the West;
-Mao's concept of "continuous revolution" was almost the opposite of the Soviet perspective of "peaceful coexistence" and they were irreconcilable to each other;
-Mao much preferred to work with right wing (Republican) governments in the U.S. than Democratic, he joked with Nixon that he "voted" for him;
As it's apparent that they will be a major player in our world for some time to come, I would recommend this book. It's also the best expose on the rules of protocol and the behind the scenes meetings and agreements that surround almost every international meeting or announcement we see today.
Natch
