RED CARPET: Hollywood, China, and the global battle for cultural supremacy, by Erich Schwartzel (Penguin, $50 hb) AMERICA SECOND: How America's elites are making China stronger, by Isaac Stone Fish (Scribe, $37)
The former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott was once asked by Germany's Angela Merkel what drove Australia's policies on China. Fear and greed, he replied.
Fear has been the focus of many books on China recently. Bestsellers such as Graham Allison's Destined for War: Can America and China escape Thucydides' trap asked whether the conflict between a rising power like China and the reigning superpower is inevitable.
Two new books have turned their attention to the other pole. Erich Schwartzel's Red Carpet details how Hollywood is so in thrall to the money to be made from China's billion cinemagoers that there is nothing it won't compromise to keep in with the Communist Party. Isaac Stone Fish's America Second goes further. He criticizes Hollywood, business elites, political leaders, and universities for being ready to sell out America - out of greed, vanity, or even just access to China.
Denne historien er fra April 2 - 8, 2022-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra April 2 - 8, 2022-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
