An Essential History of China: Why it Matters to Americans

by William John Cox

Overview

An Essential History of China: Why it Matters to Americans is exactly what the title says. In 150 pages, it reviews the ancient and dynastic history of China to provide a perspective about the depth and accomplishments of China in human history. The book documents the humiliation of China by the Western corporate powers in the Nineteenth Century and the immense suffering of its people during World War II. It recounts the rise of the Communist Dynasty and the deaths of 70 million Chinese people during the murderous, dysfunctional rule of Mao Zedong, before reviewing the reigns of the paramount leaders who have succeeded him. The book examines the relationship between the United States and China and compares their political and economic systems. Finally, it derives some practical political policy conclusions about what can be done to reduce military conflict in the Pacific region and to provide a happier and safer future for those who live there.
China, with a population of 1.4 billion people, almost half of whom live in dire poverty, and all of whom live under the dictatorship of the Chinese Communist Party, is a powder keg waiting for a spark to explode. Ignition could come from its having the greatest gap between the rich and poor of all producing nations, or from its people having to live with some of the worst water and air pollution on Earth, but most likely the flare-up will come from the denial of fundamental human rights for the vast majority of its people, including the right to vote on the conditions that affect them. The Chinese people are no longer cut off from the rest of the world; they are becoming more knowledgeable about how others live, and they want what others have.
With the largest military on Earth and a purchasing budget second only to the United States, China is on a buying spree for the latest in military weaponry. Much of its buildup is being supplied by U.S. allies, as everyone is rushing to do business with the world's economic powerhouse. China already has ballistic missiles, nuclear weapons, atomic submarines, spy satellites and satellite killer weapons, and it executes the most sophisticated and technologically advanced electronic warfare capability in cyberspace.
China is a force to be reckoned with―it not only has a powerful military, but it presently holds $1.2 trillion in American debt, more than any other nation. The U.S. trade deficit with China exceeded $318.7 billion in 2013. So, why is the United States militarily confronting China?
Disputes have arisen between China and its immediate neighbors over small islands in the East and South China Seas that China discovered and mapped at a time before the West had even entered the Age of Sailing. These events have caused President Obama to tilt toward Asia in seeking to contain China. The United States has convinced Japan to reinterpret its post-war constitution banning the use of military force, allowing it to come to the defense of the United States; the Philippines just entered into an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States; and the U.S. is selling patrol boats to Vietnam for its defense against China.
Not only political decision makers, but a concerned public as well, requires a better understanding of the Chinese people and what motivates them, than is available on the nightly news or in the mainstream media. Everybody, especially young people, need a fresh and realistic vision of the future.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940152584738
Publisher:	William John Cox
Publication date:	01/18/2016
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	555,297
File size:	517 KB

About the Author

For more than 45 years, William John Cox has written extensively on law, politics, philosophy, and the human condition. During that time, he vigorously pursued a career in law enforcement, public policy, and the law.

As a police officer, he was an early leader in the "New Breed" movement to professionalize law enforcement. Cox wrote the Policy Manual of the Los Angeles Police Department and the introductory chapters of the Police Task Force Report of the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals, which continues to define the role of the police in America.

As an attorney, Cox worked for the U.S. Department of Justice to implement national standards and goals, prosecuted cases for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, and operated a public interest law practice primarily dedicated to the defense of young people.

He wrote notable law review articles and legal briefs in major cases, tried a number of jury trials and argued cases in the superior and appellate courts that made law.

Professionally, Cox volunteered pro bono services in several landmark legal cases. In 1979, he filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all citizens directly in the U.S. Supreme Court alleging that the government no longer represented the voters who elected it. As a remedy, Cox urged the Court to require national policy referendums to be held in conjunction with presidential elections.

In 1981, representing a Jewish survivor of Auschwitz, Cox investigated and successfully sued a group of radical right-wing organizations which denied the Holocaust. The case was the subject of the Turner Network Television motion picture, Never Forget.

Cox later represented a secret client and arranged the publication of almost 1,800 photographs of ancient manuscripts that had been kept from the public for more than 40 years. A Facsimile Edition of the Dead Sea Scrolls was published in November 1991. His role in that effort is described by historian Neil Asher Silberman in The Hidden Scrolls: Christianity, Judaism, and the War for the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Cox concluded his legal career as a Supervising Trial Counsel for the State Bar of California. There, he led a team of attorneys and investigators which prosecuted attorneys accused of serious misconduct and criminal gangs engaged in the illegal practice of law. He retired in 2007.

Continuing to concentrate on political and social issues since his retirement, Cox has lectured, taught classes at the university level, produced a series of articles and books, moderated several Internet websites and maintained an extensive worldwide correspondence. His primary initiative is the United States Voters' Rights Amendment (www.usvra.us & www.y4vra.org).

For more background see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_John_Cox.