An examination of the United States's political and business leadership's deep ties to China: a network of people who believe they are doing the right thing but, the author argues, at a great and often-hidden cost to our society.
Fish’s case against American elites is more compelling than his own murky revelations of self-censorship ... far from a full-throated, or particularly detailed, confession. America Second is a provocative read that will surely make one wonder if there are any powerful Americans whose hands are clean in relation to China’s rise as an authoritarian superpower.
It’s complicated, yet Fish...lays out a damning narrative of how American corporations, sports leagues, universities, media, politicians, and diplomats, among others—citing names and incidents—have kowtowed to the Communist Party to protect their own interests while vainly, perhaps cynically, expressing the hope that, in the process, China might somehow democratize ... Fish ends with a strong pushback against the demonization of Chinese Americans, and of mainland Chinese; his beef here is always with the Communist Party.
... [a] stinging expose ... Written in tart prose that pulls no punches, Fish’s persuasive investigation reveals a morass of corruption and sycophancy that has worrisome geopolitical implications. Readers will be alarmed.
