Henry Kissingers "On China"

[Strike For The South]

Do want.

Maybe Louis will buy it for me as a present

http://www.economist.com/node/187095...n/tw/te/rss/pe

[Centurion1]

Kissinger is a good writer. Offers a well crafted book from a pretty interesting perspective usually. Very informative on East Asia.

[HoreTore]

I thought only commies made titles starting with "On" ....

[econ21]

I thought only commies made titles starting with "On" ....

You could be on to something there.

A review in the UK Sunday Times lambasted the book for being very soft on the Communist regime in China. One line on the great famine; leaving the naive reader innocent of the fact anyone died in Tiannamen; saying Mao in the Cultural Revolution raised important issues about the relation between the state and society that the US needed to reflect on; praising Mao's shelling of Taiwan as inspired etc. The reviewer said Kissinger was writing with half an eye to the (official) Chinese audience on account of his extensive business interests in the country.

Realpolitik extends into the commerical domain too, I guess.

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

Hey, Kissinger can't help it if's he a smart guy.

[Louis VI the Fat]

I was nearly tempted by this thread to read this book.

Then I realised I would do so to understand Kissinger, not China. Which seems like a somewhat inefficient way to do so.



I would get it as a birthday present for Strike. But his impressionable college mind is not ready yet. Not ready for the nasty realisations of real world politics. I am not going to be the one to undermine the beautiful idealism of this talented young man. Not yet.