Chaos Under Heaven
Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the Twenty-First Century
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There was no calm before the storm. Donald Trump's surprise electoral victory shattered the fragile understanding between Washington and Beijing, putting the most important relationship of the twenty-first century in the hands of a novice who had bitterly attacked China from the campaign trail. Almost as soon as he entered office, Trump brought to a boil the long-simmering rivalry between the two countries, while also striking up a "friendship" with Chinese president Xi Jinping — whose manipulations of his American counterpart would undermine the White House's already disjointed response to the historic challenge of a rising China. All the while, Trump's own officials fought to steer U.S. policy from within.
By the time the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in Wuhan, Trump's love-hate relationship with Xi had sparked a trade war, while Xi's aggression had pushed the world to the brink of a new Cold War. But their quarrel had also forced a long-overdue reckoning within the United States over China's audacious foreign-influence operations, horrific human rights abuses, and creeping digital despotism. Ironically, this awakening was one of the biggest foreign-policy victories of Trump's fractious term in office.
Filled with shocking revelations drawn from Josh Rogin's unparalleled access to top U.S. officials from the White House and deep within the country's foreign policy machine, Chaos Under Heaven reveals an administration at war with itself during perhaps our most urgent hour.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
March 9, 2021 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780358449348
- File size: 376109 KB
- Duration: 13:03:33
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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March 29, 2021
Washington Post columnist Rogin debuts with a deeply reported look at U.S.-China relations during the Trump presidency. Contending that the administration’s instinct to confront China over trade and national security matters was the right one, Rogin details how internal divisions between trade policy adviser Peter Navarro, treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin, chief of staff John Kelly, and others led to a disjointed, chaotic approach. Rogin also highlights the contrast between Trump’s public hostility toward China and his determined efforts to befriend Chinese leader Xi Jinping, revealing that the two stayed in regular contact, both directly and through intermediaries, even as they traded barbs in the press. Disbelieving that Chinese officials would handle the Covid-19 pandemic with “so much secrecy and misinformation,” White House officials initially resisted deputy national security adviser Matthew Pottinger’s January call for banning travel from China. Trump eventually enacted the ban over the objections of Mnuchin and chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, and during the ensuing months his administration took a harder line against China on a range of issues. Packing the account with insider details, Rogin makes a persuasive case that confronting China’s rise is essential to world affairs. Readers will appreciate this in-depth look behind the headlines.
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