Book Description
"Let China sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world." Napoleon's words seem eerily prescient today, as the shock waves from China's awakening reverberate across the globe. In China Shakes the World, the former China bureau chief of the Financial Times, James Kynge, traces these tremors from Beijing to Europe to the Midwest as China's ravenous hunger for jobs, raw materials, energy, and food -- and its export of goods, workers, and investments -- drastically reshape world trade and politics.
Delving beyond mere recitation of by-now-familiar statistics, Kynge's on-the-ground reporting provides alternative explanations for China's explosive transformation, revealing many of the usual reasons given for its growth to be myths. Most important for the future, he details China's deep, systemic weaknesses -- rampant fraud, crippling environmental crises, a corrupt banking system, faltering government institutions, a rapidly aging population -- that threaten even greater global disruptions. And he demonstrates the profound consequences of those weaknesses for American manufacturers, oil companies, banks, and ordinary consumers.
Through dramatic stories of entrepreneurs and visionaries, factory workers and store clerks at the heart of this global phenomenon, China Shakes the World explains how China's breakneck rise occurred, the extraordinary problems the country now faces, and the consequences of both for the twenty-first century.
Customer Reviews:
It is shaking me up now.......2007-10-16
I am Chinese, and of course I am attracted by the title. Finally, China get to shake the world a little too, what an accomplishment. Well, as I read the book, it is making me less and less proud of my motherland. The counterfeit product, the stealing of high-tech information, degradation of environment and the insitutionalized corruption are making my stomach turn. When 1/2 of the population is going at 80 miles an hour in the globalized world, the other half is being left behind by their own country. It makes me wonder, what will happen if the economy slow down in China? What will the people who had already tasted the fast world will do, and what will the ultra-dictatorship of the Ruling Communist party do, and what will the other half of the population that had been left behind do. This is a question worth pondering. Maybe, China is not as rosy as it projected to the rest of the world, and maybe people, or investors should listen to not just the official talking head, but what the people are doing. This is a good read, it will help with my school project too.
An enormous shift in geopolitical power.......2007-10-08
James Kynge analyzes and illustrates brilliantly the emergence of China as a major geopolitical power. He shows that the drastic shift in economic policies under Deng came from rural farmers who used creatively the concept `collective' to found private capitalist companies. The result is now a schizophrenic one party communist State with a capitalist economy. Its social stability can only be maintained with fast economic growth and job creation for its enormous population created by Mao's demographic policy.
The actual industrialization process causes massive population and gender shifts (urbanization resulting in a higher status for women), colossal energy demands (one Italy every year) and huge environmental problems (water, air). In a one party State, corruption and nepotism (with stolen identities) cannot be eradicated and provoke a declining trust in government.
Economically, corporations are mainly concerned with market share, not profits. They continue to (over) produce for the next surge in demand after every dip. They are also beginning to build consumer loyalty by branding their own products.
Internationally, the Chinese voracity created energy and commodities price surges worldwide. The end is not in sight. On the other hand, the bulk of the profits made with China's low cost factory army (no welfare) goes into the pockets of Western retail giants and their shareholders, leaving only 10 to 15 % for their Chinese counterparts. In the meantime, the deindustrialization of the Western world continues with massive job losses in the textile, car, computer and even the service industry.
Overall, however, China's economic development continues to benefit enormously world trade, notwithstanding the regularly surfacing accusations of protectionism, currency manipulation and rampant piracy. Politically, the problem of Taiwan is still not solved.
Mencius''ren' (benevolence) is not a basic ingredient of Chinese foreign policy, but the author believes that ultimately pragmatism and flexibility will have the upper hand.
This book is a must read for all those who want to understand the world we live in.
MBA Mom.......2007-07-15
I am full time Mom and just recently visited Beijing with my 2 young children and husband. As a result of our travels, all the news in the media regarding China, and my own personal experience with respect to my shopping purchase power and selection in the last many year, I was very interested in the "China story." This book is an easy read, and provides a good big picture. It reminds me of the center column in the Wall Street Journal... Too boot, well written, and excellent use of vocabulary.
Mom
Well written, informative book.......2007-06-01
This book is money and time well spent if you're interested in a contemporary survey of China.
Kynge really does an outstanding job with a complex topic. He has a journalist's nose for a story, is well connected in China, and the length of time he lived in the country allows him to really portray his observations in a sophisticated cultural and historical context. He nicely weaves in statistics and facts throughout the book without distracting from the narrative.
A Journalist's Eye.......2007-05-24
I've loved the lyrical quality of this book. It looks at the many problems facing China from the ground up and individual journalist's eyes. For a big picture view that is based more on economic analysis, see my own book: The Coming China Wars: Where They Will Be Fought and How They Can Be Won
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Amazon.com
China has the world's most rapidly changing large economy, and according to Ted Fishman, it is forcing the world to change along with it. "No country has ever before made a better run at climbing every step of economic development all at once," he writes, in China, Inc.: How the Rise of the Next Superpower Challenges America and the World. China is currently the largest maker of toys, clothing, and consumer electronics, and is swiftly moving up the ladder in car production, computer manufacturing, biotechnology, aerospace, telecommunications, and other sectors thanks to low-cost, high-tech factories. China is also where the world is investing. In 2004, for instance, the city of Shanghai alone attracted over $12 billion in direct foreign investment, roughly the same amount as all of Indonesia and Mexico received. In tracing China's ascendancy over the past 30 years (with annual growth of an astonishing 9.5 percent), Fishman presents a flood of facts, figures, forecasts, and anecdotes and examines the implications of this unprecedented growth for China, the U.S., and the rest of the world.
Calling China's huge population "arguably the greatest natural resource on the planet," Fishman details how hundreds of millions of peasants have migrated from rural to urban areas to find manufacturing jobs, providing an unlimited, low-wage workforce to power China's economy. In the process, this shift has changed both Chinese culture and the global business climate in significant ways. Simply put, American companies can't compete with wages as low as 25 cents an hour and lack of regulation and oversight, so are forced to move their operations to China or completely change the focus of their business. And it's not just a problem for the U.S.--even Mexico is outsourcing to China. Though it remains to be seen whether this will truly be the "Chinese Century" as Fishman asserts, China, Inc. is a brisk and informative look at why so many American corporations, and American jobs, are heading to China. --Shawn Carkonen
Book Description
China today is visible everywhere -- in the news, in the economic pressures battering america, in the workplace, and in every trip to the store. provocative, timely, and essential, this dramatic account of china's growing dominance as an industrial super-power by journalist Ted C. Fishman explains how the profound shift in the global economic order has occurred -- and why it already affects us all.
How has an enormous country once hobbled by poverty and Communist ideology come to be the supercharged center of global capitalism? What does it mean that China now grows three times faster than the United States? That China uses 40 percent of the world's concrete and 25 percent of its steel? What is the global impact of 300 million rural Chinese walking off their farms and heading to the cities in the greatest migration in human history? Why do nearly all of the world's biggest companies now have large-scale operations in China? What does the corporate march into China mean for workers left behind in America, Europe, and the rest of the world?
Meanwhile, what makes China's emerging corporations so dangerously competitive? What could happen when China will be able to manufacture nearly everything -- computers, cars, jumbo jets, and pharmaceuticals -- that the United States and Europe can, at perhaps half the cost? How do these developments reach around the world and straight into the lives of all Americans?
These are ground-shaking questions, and China, Inc. provides answers.Veteran journalist and former commodities trader Ted C. Fishman paints a vivid picture of the megatrends radiating out of China. Fishman's account begins with the burgeoning output of China's vast low-cost factories and the swelling appetite of its 1.3 billion consumers, both of which are being driven by historically unprecedented infusions of foreign capital and technological know-how. Traveling through China's frenetic landscape of growth, Fishman visits the factories, markets, streets, stores, towns, and cities where the story of Chinese capitalism is being lived by one-fifth of all humanity. Fishman also draws on interviews with Chinese, American, and European workers, managers, and executives to show how China will force all of us to make big changes in how we think about ourselves as consumers, workers, citizens, and even as parents. The result is a richly engaging work of penetrating, up-to-the-minute reportage and brilliant analysis that will forever change how readers think about America's future.
Download Description
"China today is visible everywhere -- in the news, in the economic pressures battering america, in the workplace, and in every trip to the store. provocative, timely, and essential, this dramatic account of china's growing dominance as an industrial super-power by journalist Ted C. Fishman explains how the profound shift in the global economic order has occurred -- and why it already affects us all. How has an enormous country once hobbled by poverty and Communist ideology come to be the supercharged center of global capitalism? What does it mean that China now grows three times faster than the United States? That China uses 40 percent of the world's concrete and 25 percent of its steel? What is the global impact of 300 million rural Chinese walking off their farms and heading to the cities in the greatest migration in human history? Why do nearly all of the world's biggest companies now have large-scale operations in China? What does the corporate march into China mean for workers left behind in America, Europe, and the rest of the world? Meanwhile, what makes China's emerging corporations so dangerously competitive? What could happen when China will be able to manufacture nearly everything -- computers, cars, jumbo jets, and pharmaceuticals -- that the United States and Europe can, at perhaps half the cost? How do these developments reach around the world and straight into the lives of all Americans? These are ground-shaking questions, and China, Inc. provides answers.Veteran journalist and former commodities trader Ted C. Fishman paints a vivid picture of the megatrends radiating out of China. Fishman's account begins with the burgeoning output of China's vast low-cost factories and the swelling appetite of its 1.3 billion consumers, both of which are being driven by historically unprecedented infusions of foreign capital and technological know-how. Traveling through China's frenetic landscape of growth, Fishman visits the factories, markets, streets, stores, towns, and cities where the story of Chinese capitalism is being lived by one-fifth of all humanity. Fishman also draws on interviews with Chinese, American, and European workers, managers, and executives to show how China will force all of us to make big changes in how we think about ourselves as consumers, workers, citizens, and even as parents. The result is a richly engaging work of penetrating, up-to-the-minute reportage and brilliant analysis that will forever change how readers think about America's future. "
Customer Reviews:
Lacks critical analysis, nothing more than a collection of (incomplete) stories .......2007-09-04
Half of the book is like a PR campaign for Shanghai, saying how fascinating the city is without really critically examining its glories. It seems like the author has not ventured far away from Shanghai (even Zhejiang Province is bordering Shanghai) and to really delve into the rest of China. It is just like reading a book on U.S. economy while all it talks about is New York. Projecting New York for the rest of the U.S. is laughable, so is thinking Shanghai epitomizes the entire China.
Shanghai's success, at least in the past, critically relied on the extremely favorable national policies steered by Jiang Ze-ming, the former mayor of Shanghai who became the president after 1989 Tiananmen. Such biased national policies are highly questionable, and its impact on Shanghai long-term economic sustainability is also open for debate.
It's also weird for a book on China's economic transition to exclude meaningful discussion of the economic reforms in the Pearl River Delta area where all of the initial economic reforms started, and which is still one of the most important economic regions in China. Also, China's attempts to balance economic development between the coastal region and the inland region are largely ignored in the book (except some very light discussions here and there).
The second half of the book is not very organized and it is not clear what message the author was trying to get across. Overall, the book is nothing more than a collection of stories you can easily find in Economist. A better book for a quick intro and analysis of China's rise is The World is Flat, side by side is an analysis of India as a bonus...
Could have been at least 100 pages shorter.......2007-07-15
A lot of insights from the book but at the same time a lot of non-insights.
The book covers the movement of Chinese people from the farms to the cities and the attitude towards rapid modernization including piracy. However, you cannot FEEL it from first person point of view. You feel very detached reading the book.
It could have been more straight to the point and a lot of pages bored me.
The Tom Wolfe of China.......2007-05-24
This a kaleidoscopic view of the most dynamic country today on the planet. Sit down, strap up, and read the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test of the 21st Century. For a harder analytical edge, read my own volume The Coming China Wars: Where They Will Be Fought and How They Can Be Won
Please blame everything on China, is this a new trend to cover up American "disastrous" foreign policy? .......2007-05-11
So with all due respect:
1) If China is so bad, don't do business there, no one is forcing you
2) All American CEO who deals with China are unpatriotic Americans
3) All American CEO who outsource to China and India are immoral capitalist
4) All American CEO who deal with China should pay a fine or go to Jail. -But they are not! And as matter of facts, they are getting big bonuses.
5) Don't blame the Chinese, they are providing a service (cheap) but American consumers and executives are the ones knocking on their doors.
6) You can't have both ways; you can't try to use cheap labor in 3rd world countries and then turn around and point fingers at the people you are doing business with.
7) Stop bringing up the WWII theory on some of these comments, just because the USA fought and won WWI -which is GREAT! It does not mean the USA is correct FOREVER...common sense.
Excellent reference background............2007-04-11
My team at work does a lot of business with China and after one of the engineers read the book, we ordered about 15 copies for the entire department to read, we felt it was so worthwhile!
Book Description
China's spectacular economic growth over the past two decades has dramatically depleted the country's natural resources and produced skyrocketing rates of pollution. Environmental degradation in China has also contributed to significant public health problems, mass migration, economic loss, and social unrest. In The River Runs Black, Elizabeth C. Economy examines China's growing environmental crisis and its implications for the country's future development.
Drawing on historical research, case studies, and interviews with officials, scholars, and activists in China, Economy traces the economic and political roots of China's environmental challenge and the evolution of the leadership's response. She argues that China's current approach to environmental protection mirrors the one embraced for economic development: devolving authority to local officials, opening the door to private actors, and inviting participation from the international community, while retaining only weak central control. The result has been a patchwork of environmental protection in which a few wealthy regions with strong leaders and international ties improve their local environments, while most of the country continues to deteriorate, sometimes suffering irrevocable damage. Economy compares China's response with the experience of other societies and sketches out several possible futures for the country.
Customer Reviews:
A bloated and dry dissertation.......2007-08-03
This reads like research paper and lacks personality. Feels like Elizabeth wrote this 3rd person without any firsthand experience of China.
Good policy study.......2007-02-17
Previous reviewers have said good things about this book, and I can only agree. It is notably superior to other recent books about the Chinese environment, which (though often scholarly) are long on polemics and short on comprehensive vision.
Dr. Economy focuses on politics and policies. These have been notoriously awful under Communism, but there is now a realization of the damage being done, and thus some hope. Dr. Economy is as optimistic as one could reasonably be. Incidentally, interested readers should also look up her very fine chapter in Kristen Day's worthy edited volume CHINA'S ENVIRONMENT AND THE CHALLENGE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.
I am not so optimistic. One reason is that my training is more in biology, and I am aware that the devastating damage China has done to its environment will not be clear for 50 to 100 years. It takes that long for pollution and environmental degradation to show themselves fully.
As Dr. Economy says, China wanted to be "first rich, then clean" (that's the literal Chinese; she actually phrases it more academically). They thought that the west had done this. No, the west started conservation and scientific management long ago. The United States' golden age of conservation was under Theodore Roosevelt, when the US was still poor and rural. The US and western Europe never allowed anything close to what China has done. There was much degradation, but reaction always came eventually. China, like all Communist-led countries, missed this lesson. Marx had spoken: production is all, and top-down control is the way to do it. This has led, everywhere, to dismal environmental records, though much good has come from distributing food, health care, housing, etc., more evenly (this may no longer be the case). It is now too late. The white-flag dolphin, once common and resilient, is extinct, the Three Gorges are dammed, and much else has gone beyond possibility of repair.
Dr. Economy does not draw as sharp a contrast as I would between traditional management and Communist excess. Traditional China had major Malthusian problems, but they were caused more by imperial policy than by environmental mismanagement at the riceroots level. The peasants and workers created a system based on harmony and balance. The system was full of problems, and never got as harmonious as we would now wish, but it worked; it kept hundreds of millions of people alive in spite of a premodern technology, and it managed the key resources--topsoil, water, forests, and so on--sustainably enough that there was quite a bit left by 1950. Recent books trashing the old system have titles significantly featuring elephants and tigers instead of people. Even if you prefer the charismatic megafauna, note that China had some elephants and a lot of tigers in 1950.
So a flawed, antiquated, underproductive, but still well-designed and eminently functional system was sacrificed, and the result has been a royal mess. Yields of food are way up, thanks to modern technology (some of it developed in China by the Communists--to their credit), but the future is cloudy indeed.
If you want the best account of what can be done and what is being done, look no further than this book.
China's burgeoning environmental crisis.......2005-10-22
"The River Runs Black" by Elizabeth C. Economy is an intelligent analysis of contemporary China and its burgeoning environmental crisis. This engaging book helps us understand how globalization is reshaping China and issues an urgent plea for international cooperation to help monitor and rectify an increasingly worrysome situation.
Ms. Economy tells us how China's environment has been steadily deteriorating over the past centuries due to wars, political power struggles and overpopulation. However, today's problems
are attributable to specific policy decisions by China's government that has favored rapid economic development through engagement with the international business community. Unfortunately, the particular kinds of economic development favored by China's rulers has led to myriad environmental problems including deforestation, desertification, and air and water pollution. The collusion of local government and business interests has made it difficult to obtain reliable data or to implement solutions where it is feared that plant shutdowns might
result in mass unemployment and social unrest, making difficult problems seem untractable.
Environmental consciousness in China has increased as the problems have become more visible and as the country has engaged with the world economy. Ms. Economy profiles some of the courageous and inspirational individuals who have struggled for conservation, urban renewal and grass-roots democracy such as Tang Xiyang, He Bochuan, Dai Qing and others. While environmentalists have achieved some successes (such as protecting endangered species of monkeys and antelopes), the author believes that the government's championing of highly destructive projects such as the Three Gorges Dam proves that much more needs to be done.
Ms. Economy recounts the experiences of the former Communist nations of Eastern Europe to gain insight into how China might resolve its environmental problems. The Chernobyl disaster catalyzed local environmental groups into pushing for political reforms that brought down the Communists in the USSR and elsewhere. Recognizing that China's Communist Party is a "patronage machine committed to rapid economic development" and devoid of any ideological purpose other than self-perpetuation, Ms. Economy believes that increasing democratization in China could easily undermine the country's single Party system. Of course, China's leaders are keenly aware of this threat and consequently have tightly circumscribed the activities of environmental organizations, but the author is hopeful that the contradictions between increasing environmental degradation and the lack of a meaningful democracy will eventually force China's political system to change.
In the last section, Ms. Economy speculates about the manner in which China may develop in the future. The author envisions three possible scenarios: China goes green; inertia sets in; and environmental meltdown. Ms. Economy thinks that the U.S. should take the lead in encouraging China to develop its regulatory system and implement green technologies so that the country can embark on an environmentally sustainable path. Indeed, the unpredictable consequences of a Chinese environmental meltdown should give the international community pause to consider how it might help China -- and by extension all of us -- to avoid a worse case scenario.
I highly recommend this superbly written book to everyone.
powerful, well documented.......2005-09-23
Not an easy read, but one that many Americans probably should...it demonstrates well how our life styles here in the US increases demand for cheap consumer goods, resulting in corporations poisoning other parts of the planet to supply them quickly and without major expense to us.
Incredibly sickening injury to the planet is well documented and presented in a professional way, and the book is very readable.
Recommended for all of those who need a greater repetoire of evidence that we are rather quickly destroying the planet, and as a means of strengthening arguments against "globalization" and consumerism.
A Great Perspective for Everyone!.......2004-07-09
For anyone with even a hint of environmental concern, this book provides a great look at what can and will go wrong. The problems in China outlined here teach us first hand that if economic and technologic advancement go unchecked, the cost will be the environment, and we will all pay. A copy of Dr. Economy's book should be sent to all current politicians and policy makers so that history is not repeated, in the US, or anywhere in the world, and that immediate steps be taken to reverse all environmental insults that are taking place. I really enjoyed this excellent political and economic commentary in which myself, as a common reader, can appreciate the importance of environmental salvation. Let's learn from this author's teachings.
Product Description
One of the key concerns of naval strategists and planners today is the nature of the Chinese geostrategic challenge. Conceding that no one can know for certain China s intentions in terms of future conflict, the editors of this hot-topic book argue that the trajectory of Chinese nuclear propulsion for submarines may be one of the best single indicators of China s ambitions of global military power. Nuclear submarines, with their unparalleled survivability, remain ideal platforms for persistent operations in far-flung sea areas and offer an efficient means for China to project power.
This collection of essays presents the latest thinking of leading experts on the emergence of a modern nuclear submarine fleet in China. Each contribution is packed with authoritative data and cogent analysis. The book has been compiled by four professors and analysts at the U.S. Naval War College who are co-founders of the college s recently established China Maritime Studies Institute.
Given the opaque nature of China s undersea warfare development, readers will benefit from this penetrating investigation that considers the potential impact of even the most revolutionary changes in Chinese nuclear submarine capabilities. The editors believe that to ignore such possibilities would be the height of strategic folly and represent inexcusable negligence in terms of U.S. national defense.
Anyone who is interested in the future of the U.S. Navy and the defense of the United States will find this book to be essential reading.
Book Description
This book begins with an eye-opening exploration of the rise of China’s economy and an assessment of its potential for further rapid growth. The implications of China’s new power are nothing short of profound, Reed Hundt contends. In China's Shadow proceeds to paint a detailed landscape of the new reality confronting American businesses and citizens. For the first time in over one hundred years, Americans face critical challenges to their economy and way of life owing not only to China’s impending economic might but also to the drift of U.S. business practices and government regulations over the past decade.
Aiming for a respectable defeat in the competition of nations will imperil not only the American Dream of an ever-increasing standard of living but also the American project itself, Hundt warns. Meeting the foreseeable challenges is not a matter of legislative strategy from the political left or right or prescriptive plans for businesses. The best chance for Americans to lead the world in job and wealth creation lies in an expanded and renewed culture of entrepreneurship. Hundt reviews the lessons of the 1990s, when the architectures of law, technology, and leadership produced a robust culture of entrepreneurship, and analyzes how entrepreneurship is being undermined today. He challenges Americans to do what they do best—adapt, invent, innovate, take risks—and points the way for a reinvigorated entrepreneurial society.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating treatment of a critically important subject........2007-02-23
This book is fascinating and a little terrifying -- when you see all the steps we should/could be taking as a country to meet the challenges of globalization and China, in particular. IN CHINA'S SHADOW lays out the current state of affairs and explains what the next decades could hold for the United States, given current or possible policy decisions.
Good Warning, but Simplistic Prescriptions!.......2007-01-02
Hundt does America a service by pointing out that China challenges the American economy more than any nation has ever done (remember the great "Japan scare" of the early '90s?), and that the American dream of ever increasing wealth for everyone who works hard is at risk. He also points out that its huge domestic market (and low labor costs) offer economies of scale hard to match anywhere else - in fact, it even offers the Chinese the opportunity to set technological standards in the future and thus dominate even the high-end of product development.
Where will help come from? "In China's Shadow" goes on to aver that "by the time the now-thriving upper class suffers serious impact from China, the opportunity for serious national response probably will have passed." Don't expect help from large multi-national firms either - while they used to keep their best jobs in America, they now must become global to survive and will no longer find their interests coinciding with those of the U.S. Finally, the large numbers of Asian students coming to the U.S. and then remaining to contribute to the American economy are likely to quickly shrink because quality Asian universities are rapidly growing, and its faster-growing economies offer greater opportunity to new graduates.
Hundt's prescriptions? Encouraging entrepreneurship (aka Steve Case and Steve Jobs), increased investment in high-speed Internet access, and more education for Americans. Unfortunately, they are overly simplistic and miss the elephant in the room - labor costs about one-eighth those of the U.S. Not everyone can be a eg. bioscience researcher (nor could the economy absorb such), highly-educated Americans are already suffering from Chinese and Indian competition (eg. electrical engineers and computer programmers), and it seems the main U.S. demands for increased Internet speed come from those downloading movies and/or outsourcing business to Asia.
The really bad news, as Hundt points out, is that most of our political leaders are ignoring the issue, instead focusing on "important" topics such as gay marriage, abortion, school prayer, and decreasing taxes; the "good news" is that they soon will focus on Iraq, and hopefully the economy thereafter.
More DLC prescriptions, Clinton hagiography and thin China analysis make for skimpy, platitudinous read.......2006-12-06
First, the DLC medicine.
Hundt never says anything was wrong with the "free trade without requiring fair trade" Democratic Leadership Council stance of the 1990s. Nor does he, if we go with the theoretical statement of "free trade is good overall, but bad for certain individual Americans," ever address the issue of how much more the government should do for free-trade displaced American workers, especially when displaced by unfair trade.
Basically, this part of his book says: "Free trade works, China is working it in a different style than American capitalism, and to the degree China won't be changing from this and will have longer-term success, America needs to adapt." In other words, since he's saying nothing is wrong with NAFTA and then the WTO above all else, nothing needs to be addressed in this part of the U.S.-China relationship.
Beyond that, many of his comments about the economic future of how he thinks this relationship should play out are little more than platitudes.
Second, the Clinton on a pedestal part
Although Hundt does let the mask slip once or twice as to not blaming Bush for every economic problem of the current decade/century/millennium, he nonetheless paints with a pretty black-and-white palette.
For example, he never mentions that the dot-com bubble bursting, and the accompanying recession, were happening already in 2000, before Clinton left office. He never mentions that the housing bubble of the 2000s, the result of how Greenspan/the Fed addressed the recession, would have happened just as much under a President Gore as a President Clinton. He nowhere faults the Clinton-era Greenspan for letting the market get so exuberant as to letting the dot-com bubble inflate so much in the first place.
Third, the thin China analysis
Nowhere does Hundt discuss China's potential downsides along with its upsides. And those potential downsides are many.
For a starter, they include: lack of arable land, with more being lost all the time; water supply/quality issues; general environmental degradation; pollution; not a lot of resources outside of its coal (not always the best quality) and the hydroelectric power from its new dams; and whether the degree of state intervention in, and even partial ownership of, private businesses, won't turn out to be a big downside, especially given the amount of corruption/shakedowns this often involves.
In short, you can do far better than this book.
If you're a progressive, you will want a different analysis of international trade issues and how the issue has been handled domestically, including by Clinton. If you're an environmentalist, or otherwise familiar with things such as global warming, Peak Oil and Peak Heavy Metals, you might want a more sober analysis of China's natural resources.
Great book - buy it now!.......2006-10-13
OMG, I'm sitting in front of the guy and he's so cool. Buy the book now!
A Much Needed Book.......2006-09-20
This book offers a much needed intelligent look at the impact that China's successful globalization may have on the United States. The book is data driven but is also entertaining and very well-written. It is an important read for anybody concerned about the U.S.'s potential rivalry with China and what U.S policy makers and leaders are doing about it (or not doing about it). If you wonder how China's rapidly increasing economic power might impact you or your children, you should start with this book.
Book Description
The end of communist rule in China will be one of the most momentous events of the twenty-first century, sounding the death knell for the Marxist-Leninist experiment and changing the lives of a fifth of humanity. This book provides a likely blow-by-blow account of how the Chinese Communist Party will be removed from power and how a new democracy will be born.
In more than half a century of rule, the Chinese Communist Party has turned a poor and benighted China into a moderately well-off and increasingly influential nation. Yet the Party has failed to keep pace with change since stepping aside from daily life in the late-1970s. After nearly a hundred years of frustrating attempts to create a workable political system following the overthrow of the last dynasty, the prospects for democracy in China are better than ever, according to Bruce Gilley.
Gilley predicts an elite-led transformation rather than a popular-led overthrow. He profiles the key actors and looks at the response of excluded elites, such as the military, as well as interested parties such as Taiwan and Tibet. He explains how democracy in China will be very "Chinese," even as it will also embody fundamental universal liberal features. He deals with competing interests -- regional, sectoral, and class -- of China's economy and society under democracy, addressing the pressing concerns of world business. Finally he considers the implications for Asia as well as for the United States.
Customer Reviews:
Is this the same Bruce Gilley..?.......2006-07-19
Is this the same Bruce Gilley who reported the Chinese eating human fetuses as a culinary delicacy, for the defunct tabloid "The Eastern Express"? That story had legs, no matter how untrue and racist. The American Christian right wing really flew with it.
Gilley's Democracy: The Mouse that Roars.......2006-02-19
The thesis of Gilley's book is that by the year 2020, China will become a democracy.
To support this proposition, the author cites numerous stories and details of existing problems in China, utilizing various Chinese sources for his material. If nothing else, the author exhibits an intimate knowledge of China and its history. Methodologically, the author uses both comparative and historical approaches. Gilley's analysis begins with China's presidential elections of 1912-1913 and proceeds through the Republican period to the Mao years and onward to the reform-era. There are comparisons to Spain, Portugal, Latin America, Bulgaria, Poland, the Ukraine, Russia, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and India, among others.
These democratization cases are weaned primarily through the arguments and writings of Samuel Huntington (i.e., the "third wave") and Larry Diamond. Thus, the comparative democratization literature overshadows the author's positions. This democratization literature typically divides democratization into stages, which naturally includes the (always inevitable) collapse of the authoritarian regime, and the subsequent transition and eventual consolidation of democracy. In the first part of the book, Gilley expressly rejects the culturalist and what he claims to be the historical determinist perspectives (represented in the "Orientalist" interpretation) in why China is ready for a democracy. He claims that the main reason democracy has not been introduced is that elites have made the wrong choices. In essence, the author accepts more rational explanations for democracy, such as the arguments relating democratization to rising levels of GDP.
The second part of the book is mostly a speculative argument for democracy. Gilley propounds on how an authoritarian regime will collapse. The author is convinced this will occur within the next 10-20 years (hence, the China becoming a democracy by 2020 thesis). He believes that problems are so severe that controlled democratization introduced from above would spiral out of control. So the most likely scenario is that the elite will delay until multiple domestic incidents and outbreaks compel the regime under popular pressure.
The third and final part of the book posits an overly optimistic, hypothesized scenario of how democratization will occur in China. Gilley notes that the vast majority of attempts around the world to democratize over the past thirty years have succeeded, which leads the author to believe that China's transition will be no less successful. He believes that with some adjustments-ending the current role of the CP, strengthening the Presidency and devolving authority to provinces and localities-a democratic China will avoid an authoritarian relapse, or collapse into chaos, or violence over the secession of Tibet or Xinjing, or war over Taiwan independence.
:The Dialectic of Democracy: Observations on the Marx of Liberalism:
The basic failing of the democratization literature, and Gilley's book is a prime example of this offense, is that when the argument is stripped of its pseudo-methodological underpinnings, the entire edifice of the schema is reduced to a moral argument for an ideological proposition. In this sense, democratization literature, as exemplified in Gilley's book, resembles some of Marx's methodological interpretations of Hegel's dialectic--namely, the relationship between the historical evolutions from dictatorship to democracy is always misconstrued as a linear process, instead of a true dialectic (i.e., Hegel's thesis, antithesis, and synthesis, before moving onto the next stage of history). Like Marx, Gilley's democratization is deemed a historically inevitable process, which can not be stopped, regardless of current realities, in cases of countries that have adopted certain Western institutions and socioeconomic approaches.
What is even more inexcusable, particularly for someone with as much experience in China as Gilley, is some of the author's more fanciful claims, which seemingly fly in the face of reality. For example, the author claims that China will democratize "from above" by a changed leadership that adopts democratic values. Such attitudes might have been acceptable in, say, the Soviet Union, circa 1986, but today's CCP's leadership is as staid and authoritarian as ever (and the Tiananmen Square massacre an exemplar of the regime's willingness and capability to maintain its national one-party state). Moreover, by conceding a democracy-from-above scenario, Gilley is implicitly agreeing with Huntington's culturalist perspective, which stresses that Asia's adaptation of democracy (be it post-war Japan, South Korea, as well as Taiwan), were all elite-driven, as opposed the mass-politics of democratization in the West. It seems as though the author ends up agreeing with Huntington (after all, the democracy from above scenario that is prevalent in Asia is a regionally [and hence, culturally] specific outcome), but uses other means to rationalize his conclusion.
Another problem with the text is the author's omission to mention the reasons for China's fear and problems with mass-led democratization (or democratization from below). One could sensibly assert that the Cultural Revolution, the last real mass-based mobilization campaign in China, was in many ways a democratic undertaking, even if for strictly ideological purposes, in which many sincere-believing students and young people, as well as those looking to ingratiate themselves with the Red Guards, decided to shake up the CCP leadership and party composition from below. This revolution from below led to a chaos that cost the lives of at least a million people, and it did much to allow Deng Xiaoping to justify the Tiananmen Square massacre on the grounds of attempting to avoid the social and political breakdown of those years. As wrong as the massacre may have been, as well as the preceding internal wreckage caused by the Red Guards, the very real fear of a descent into internal political instability is not some fictional worry of bureaucrats trying to hold onto power. It is a national obsession with a population that is reasonably worried about what might happen if the government tolerated another national mass-based movement pulling for a change in the system (in this case, liberal democracy). Gilley does not recognize this throughout the entire book, or even try to address the issue.
Lastly, it never occurs to Gilley, as with Marx, that you could reach a synthesis between the stages, a moderation of sorts between dictatorship and democracy (or market and communism, in Marx's case). Indeed, the very idea that China could modernize economically and remain a dictatorship, and preferably so for international investors, is something that Gilley can never addresses, in over 240 pages. While the author does attempt to employ some comparisons, he does not address the anomalies all of these comparisons have with China (and just how exceptional China is compared to, say, Spain or Portugal). Instead, he reduces himself into becoming an ideological cheerleader.
It is as though the author began his arguments with some structure, forgot what he was really attempting to accomplish methodologically, and reverted to Maoist-like invocations for his worldview. Worse, the author basically ignored the very real and unique conditions of China compared to all of the other cases of successful democratic transitions. If liberal democracy could be constrained, pocketed, and sold in a little red book, it would be Bruce Gilley's China's Democratic Future.
Book Description
The center of gravity in the technology world has shifted east. Today, India and China are churning out some of the world’s best-trained computer science and electrical engineering graduates. In both countries, consumer classes and domestic markets for technology have ballooned. Western high-tech firms are increasingly sourcing their products’ assembly from India and China and the innovation that drives those products. Meanwhile, indigenous Indian and Chinese companies are creating intellectual property and innovations that will compete with those same Western companies.
In IT and the East, James M. Popkin and Partha Iyengar examine the vital questions these developments raise: What’s the long-term impact of high-tech outsourcing? How will innovation be managed in the future? Can Western firms compete in Asian markets while protecting key intellectual property? Will the innovation engine inexorably shift east? What would such a shift mean for Western countries currently driving innovation? The authors also discuss the emerging alliances between Indian and Chinese technology companies and outline the implications for Western businesses.
Filled with extensive interviews with high-level executives, government officials, and academics from around the world, IT and the East is the first book to articulate the challenges that new business scenarios and capabilities in India and China pose for Western technology firms.
Customer Reviews:
Some Interesting Material.......2007-08-13
IT and the East" provides some interesting material; however, other books provide the same and more information in more interesting form - eg. "The Elephant and the Dragon," and "China Road." Further, it does not provide a very useful summary of the forces pushing Chinese leadership. Some of the more interesting material follows:
China and India are producing some of the world's best-trained computer science and EE graduates. More and more, Western high-tech firms are sourcing not just assembly of their products but also the innovation that drives those products. However, McKinsey also estimates that only 10% of Chinese engineering graduates could step immediately into global corporation positions - the rest need about 6 months training in disciplined thinking structure.
China and India accounted for about 75% of the world's GDP about 600 years ago, However, in 1450 China lost its lead when it abandoned its program of ocean-going treasure fleets because of a dispute at the Imperial Court. Now its banks have about $220-800 billion in bad loans (depending on the section in "IT and the East" that you read) in '06, while the U.S. government estimates 10% unemployment in urban areas, and cites a Chinese journal estimate of 20%.
Innovation is rapidly increasing in China. In 2006 it had 750 foreign-funded R&D centers. In 1980 China published only 924 papers listed in the Science Citation Index; by 200 the total was 22,000 - 9th of all nations.
As for India, IT services represent about 49% of India's total services exports ($25 billion in 2003-2004), and growing 36% a year; represents about 2/3 of the world's IT off shoring. It too has a problem with the quality of its graduates - only about 25% of its engineers are suitable for employment by multinational corporations. Licensing and other permits also take longer in India than the U.S. and China. Other major problems include poor infrastructure (utilities, roads), factional and religious animosities, criminals in government, disagreements over programs and investments offering benefits for low vs. high-income workers, and a large number of languages.
India received $5.5 billion in outside investment in '04-'05, vs. $153 billion in China during the same time period. Per capita GNP is about half that of China's.
The final section of "IT and the East" considers the possibilities for partnerships between China and India in the IT arena.
Replaces fear with facts on two critical world players.......2007-04-29
IT in the East is the first comprehensive look at the economic forces and direction of China and India. The subject of much fear, uncertainty and doubt, Popkin and Iyengar take a systematic and fact filled look at the history, dynamics and direction of these two countries. The authors are to be applauded for addressing China and India separately and then together as each country has a long and unique history and tradition.
This book, while written about IT, should be read by business and IT leaders and strategists. This is not a redux of outsourcing or offshore development. Thankfully the authors have recognized that both India and China are complete economies with their own dynamics and direction. The book is filled with data points that back up the authors' assertions a welcome addition to the debate.
The book is divided into three main sections: the first dealing with India, the next with China, and the final one with the region. Each looks at providing frameworks and guidelines for executive decision makers all of whom have or will soon have to face decisions about these countries and their markets (both IT and consumer markets)
Popkin and Iyengar provide first hand accounts and policy recommendations that give the reader the background and depth to be well informed and well rounded. If you are a CIO or IT Strategist you will naturally want to read this book. However you will quickly discover that this is a book for your CEO, CFO and Corporate development executives. There is much hype and misinformation about India and China and give your execs this book to give them the best information to make the best decisions for IT and the entire company.
Where the future of IT might lie..........2007-03-06
It won't come as any surprise to people in the IT industry that India and China are becoming major players on the world technology scene. IT And the East: How China And India Are Altering the Future of Technology And Innovation by James M. Popkin and Partha Iyengar examine each country's strengths and weaknesses, and ponders what a "Chindia" alliance would mean to the global IT market.
Contents:
Part 1 - China: China - Reality versus Perception; China's IT Landscape Today; Charting the Course for China to 2012
Part 2 - India: India - Reality versus Perception; India's IT Landscape Today; Charting the Course for India to 2012
Part 3 - Chindia: The Emerging Economy of Chindia; The Case for Chindia Bloc; Priorities Today for a Chindia Future
Appendix A - Scenario Milestones and Signposts for China; Appendix B - Scenario Milestones and Signposts for India; Notes; Index; About the Authors
Popkin and Iyengar are both Gartner analysts, so it's no surprise that this book reads like an extended Gartner-style report. Each section examines the past and present situation for both countries, followed by three different possibilities for the future. The course for 2012 chapter creates a four quadrant grid for each country, and places them where they currently exist. The three potential options for future events are then graphed out with timelines and events, along with Gartner's probability ranking for each. For India, the highest probability is one where infrastructure improvements occur, but the educational institutions remain the domain of the elite. Therefore, a large chasm will exist between the haves and the have nots. For China, it's much more difficult to predict the future due to the closed nature of their government system. It could be that China becomes a dynamic entrepreneurial force, or they could go back into a protectionist shell. The path that would benefit both would be to join forces and complement each others strengths and weaknesses. A Chindia bloc would bring heavy pressure on both the hardware and software markets, and it would be a difficult force to compete with based on manpower and costs.
If you're interested in the global IT trends and where they might head, this is definitely a book that would be of interest to you. It'd also be interesting to look back at this book in five years to see how things played out...
Book Description
The massive political, economic, and social changes China has undergone during the past decade have dramatically altered its cultural landscape. The exhibition New Photography from China and its catalogue offer the first comprehensive look at the body of photographic art produced during this period. Often ambitious in scale and experimental in nature, the works featured in New Photography From China encompass a wide range of highly individual responses to these unprecedented transformations.
Essays by co-curators and distinguished scholars Christopher Phillips and Wu Hung examine the recent history and current status of photography in China. Also included are artist interviews conducted by Melissa Chiu, Lisa Corrin, and Stephanie Smith; artists' biographies; and a bibliography. Many of these artists will be introduced to the American public for the first time. This catalogue is a valuable resource for art and cultural historians, students, or anyone interested in contemporary Asian art.
In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India
China The Balance Sheet: What the World Needs to Know Now About the Emerging Superpower (Institute International Econom)
The Coming China Wars: Where They Will Be Fought and How They Can Be Won
The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World's Most Powerful Company Really Works--and How It's Transforming the American Economy
China: Fragile Superpower: How China's Internal Politics Could Derail Its Peaceful Rise
