America Against America
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Wang Huning
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Summary
The fundamental purpose of this book， therefore， is not to explore the diverse dimensions， the colorful landscapes， and the intricate movements it depicts， but to explore the political and social management processes of American society， and although the book attempts to cover as many dimensions and topics as possible， its analysis remains consistent with these themes。 The development and flux of a society is inseparable from its politics and the way it is managed。 It can be said that what kind of politics and social management there is， is what kind of social development there is。 It is difficult to analyze and understand the United States without this logic。 I just want to answer a simple HO question by dissecting the multiple dimensions of society: "Why is there an America？" This question is simple， but it is far beyond my ability to do so， and I know it well。
Reviews
Victor Wu
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This is a fascinating sketch of 20th-century America by Wang Huning， a Chinese political scientist who is now， as a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee， one of the 7 most powerful people in China。 Based on Wang's 6 months of travel throughout the U。S。 in 1988， this book strikes me as a more impressionistic （less polished， but also freer to make miscellaneous interesting observations and interpretations） version of Tocqueville's Democracy in America。 Despite Wang's position today， his This is a fascinating sketch of 20th-century America by Wang Huning， a Chinese political scientist who is now， as a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee， one of the 7 most powerful people in China。 Based on Wang's 6 months of travel throughout the U。S。 in 1988， this book strikes me as a more impressionistic （less polished， but also freer to make miscellaneous interesting observations and interpretations） version of Tocqueville's Democracy in America。 Despite Wang's position today， his writing （at least in this 1991 work） takes a consistently measured， analytical perspective and tone towards America， commenting often incisively on its distinctive characteristics， strengths， and failings。 。。。more
Kdm
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The English translation is not perfect but I only had 2-5 situations over the whole book where it made things unclear。Interestingly， many of the things the author wrote about Japan didn't happen， instead it happened with China。 Now Chinese people are buying up properties en masse in the West。And what is even more interesting， the man who wrote this book， Wang Huning， helped make this happen。 He is one of the men behind Xi Jingping。 The English translation is not perfect but I only had 2-5 situations over the whole book where it made things unclear。Interestingly， many of the things the author wrote about Japan didn't happen， instead it happened with China。 Now Chinese people are buying up properties en masse in the West。And what is even more interesting， the man who wrote this book， Wang Huning， helped make this happen。 He is one of the men behind Xi Jingping。 。。。more
C
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The English translation is pretty awful。 I'm also distrustful of the way this man is getting Adam-Curtisified in lefty circles。 Curtis will take complex historical phenomenon and use the documentary film format （in which he's very skilled） to reduce said phenomenon to the responsibility of a single， shadowy individual， then cue all the left media types to tweet about said individual and write "think pieces" on said individual and bring up said individual at parties "have you heard of so-and-so a The English translation is pretty awful。 I'm also distrustful of the way this man is getting Adam-Curtisified in lefty circles。 Curtis will take complex historical phenomenon and use the documentary film format （in which he's very skilled） to reduce said phenomenon to the responsibility of a single， shadowy individual， then cue all the left media types to tweet about said individual and write "think pieces" on said individual and bring up said individual at parties "have you heard of so-and-so and did you know they。。。" All that to say the mediasphere is doing this with Wang Huning now vis a vis China's current trajectory on the world stage。 One of the most complex and interesting socio-economic stories is being reduced to the mysterious machinations of one obscure （not for long） man: high-ranking CPC member Wang Huning， advisor to the past several general secretaries。 I suppose if one wants to sound smart about a complex issue without doing the time-consuming research， best to just throw all your chips behind one interesting person connected to the issue。 But let's not pretend those who do this are more enlightened simply because they can name drop。 All that discourse baggage aside the book is OK， an interesting time capsule。 Not worth all the media hype。 There are better books to read to understand the current US-China tension， and its historical context。 I'll continue posting and reviewing them here semi- regularly。 。。。more
Dead John Williams
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There is no way that you'd call this a quick read。 I read it over many months and by that I mean 6 to 9 months。 Why so long you might ask？ Well， it's pretty dry it's quite dense with facts and it is written with a great deal of consideration。 This means that you read a bit of it and then you have to stop and think about it。You might ask who is Wang Huning？ He is the non-descript guy that you quite often see in the background when Chinese leaders are talking to other world leaders， if you weren't There is no way that you'd call this a quick read。 I read it over many months and by that I mean 6 to 9 months。 Why so long you might ask？ Well， it's pretty dry it's quite dense with facts and it is written with a great deal of consideration。 This means that you read a bit of it and then you have to stop and think about it。You might ask who is Wang Huning？ He is the non-descript guy that you quite often see in the background when Chinese leaders are talking to other world leaders， if you weren't looking for him you'd never see him。He's been around for a long， long time which is unusual in Chinese politics， his is the mind behind China's policies， both domestic and foreign。He went on an extended tour of the United States some time in the 80s and he took detailed notes of what he saw and what he heard。He's starting premise was something along the lines of these two questions。 The American Question:How could a country with so little history rise to such dominance in the world？ The Chinese Question:How could a country with so much history fall so far behind。 This book really covers everything about America， the social structure， the financial structure， the political structure， the lot。 And while his scope is far-reaching and far ranging it wasn't judgemental as such， more of an open curiosity than a closed-minded quest。When it comes to politics， he soon realises that although America may claim to be the worlds leading democracy， in fact， that is a claim that is simply not true。He rightly points out that a small group of very rich people controls most of what happens not only in American politics， but indeed also most of what happens at all levels of American life。 When it comes to presidential elections he quite rightly points out that the American population do not and cannot vote for the person who will actually become the president。 All they can vote for is the people who will vote for who will become the next president。In this book there is a very full and easy to understand explanation of the very complicated American voting system。 I am glad I read this book just for that one piece of information alone。 I don't think anyone outside of America has any idea of how that complicated system works， and I suspect not many people inside America have much of an idea either。One of the things that surprise him is just how free and open the flow of information is in the United States。 He talks about research from the leading American universities and how that research flows seamlessly into American industries and often these new ideas are enacted almost immediately。 Through this one thing it becomes obvious to him that this is， in fact， one of the ways that America has come to dominate the world。 Comparing how long new ideas take to enter the mainstream in China it is easy to see why China would fall behind when compared to the United States。He also cites some American Think Tanks and how they influence public policy in a way that is quite open and transparent， possibly reflecting on how that same process is maybe not so open and transparent in China itself。The areas where he tends to show more of himself is when it comes to how people are treated in the United States。 He mentions cities with such an opulent display of wealth and power， and yet those same streets have sidewalk's and doorways full of homeless people， full of sick people， full of mentally ill people， and he asks how is this possible？ He realises that for America this is an acceptable by-product of both their culture and their economy。 One of his more chilling realisations is when it comes to parents supporting children through higher education。 He contrasts to China where parents will invest in their children's future because those children will support the parents when they are old。 But in the United States there is no such expectation that children will support parents when they are old。He says that some parents， realising that there will be no return on any investment in the children's further education， and simply encourage or force their children to leave home as soon as possible。 He does combine this idea with the fact that all Americans are raised to be independent above all else。 And so encouraging your children to go out into the world to prove their independence is not looked upon in the same light as it would be in other countries。His conclusions pretty much point the direction that America has followed since his visit including the breakdown of the family being at the heart of American life。 The disparity of wealth。 And while Americans believe they are more free than other nations， in fact， their freedoms are more limited， their taxes are higher and they get less representation than almost all other democratic countries。 It is also a good snapshot of how America was around the time that Ronald Reagan came to power end before his terrible policies had gutted life for most Americans。 。。。more
Jack
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Dense and low readability。 I couldn't finish it， but nonetheless it provided a new perspective， which I found interesting。 I learned how an outsider from China viewed America and its problems; quite prescient， outlining problems that decades later， today， are coming into fruition。 Dense and low readability。 I couldn't finish it， but nonetheless it provided a new perspective， which I found interesting。 I learned how an outsider from China viewed America and its problems; quite prescient， outlining problems that decades later， today， are coming into fruition。 。。。more
Owlseyes
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https://www。newyorker。com/books/secon。。。 https://www。newyorker。com/books/secon。。。 。。。more
John Emerson
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My 3 rating is a compromise between 0 and 5。 The 0 is for the translation， which I think was a machine translation and is in any case the worst translation I have ever seen。 Whole paragraphs are unintelligible， probably because the machine chose the wrong one of two alternative meanings and worked it into a grammatical sentence which made no sense in context。 （Or whatever -- your guess is as good as mine， I suppose）。 My command of modern Chinese is poor， but I often found myself trying to guess My 3 rating is a compromise between 0 and 5。 The 0 is for the translation， which I think was a machine translation and is in any case the worst translation I have ever seen。 Whole paragraphs are unintelligible， probably because the machine chose the wrong one of two alternative meanings and worked it into a grammatical sentence which made no sense in context。 （Or whatever -- your guess is as good as mine， I suppose）。 My command of modern Chinese is poor， but I often found myself trying to guess which Chinese word was being （mis）translated。This might be a fly-by-night pirate book -- no publisher or translator is given， there's no pagination， and the physical copy I got was not quite right。 As a window into how 1988 America looked to a relatively open-minded Chinese Communist visitor， this book is invaluable -- the more so because its author is now on the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party。 He had come to find good things in America for China to learn from as well as bad things to avoid。 He appreciated the good economic and intellectual effects of American openness， but he was repelled by the sexual freedom， drug use， crime， and beggary he saw in the cities and aspecially the breakdown of the family。 He basically came to the neoliberal conclusion -- economic liberalism with minimal political liberalism -- and once he became politically influential he is thought to have argued for authoritarianism and against liberalization。 A couple amusing asides: the backbiting and infighting in American academia surprised him， and so did the inflexible， hardnose approach of management toward workers at the work site。 My students in Taiwan also noticed something like this， feeling that their local ways were humane than the American way。 。。。more
Rosemary
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老师分析美国社会的思路非常有参考价值。
Peter
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An interesting "anthropological" look at US society from a Chinese professor-turned politician who is currently holding a major position in the Chinese Communist Party under Xi Jinping。 Quite a few articles in western media have talked about this book as some sort of "analysis of the US by the Chinese Communist enemy"， but my fundamental impression was that the author seemed like more of an Americophile， trying to understand which parts of US society can and can not be applied for China's own mo An interesting "anthropological" look at US society from a Chinese professor-turned politician who is currently holding a major position in the Chinese Communist Party under Xi Jinping。 Quite a few articles in western media have talked about this book as some sort of "analysis of the US by the Chinese Communist enemy"， but my fundamental impression was that the author seemed like more of an Americophile， trying to understand which parts of US society can and can not be applied for China's own modernisation process。Written in 1989 after the author's stay in the US as a visiting scholar， the book is broadly divided in three parts， first with a broad overview of US society， then various institutions， first pointing out how these have led to successes throughout the 20th century， finally highlighting flaws and predicting various issues with the system going forward。 Some parts are of course out of date， but there's also observations which have held up surprisingly well。 Most interesting to me were the comparisons with Chinese society， although as the book was originally written for a Chinese audience， the Chinese perspective is somewhat taken for granted and not elaborated on for the reader， not fully elaborating on how Chinese society handles these issues differently。 Large portions of the book are very descriptive， as the author seeks to present US political， social and economic institutions to a Chinese audience。 If one is already familiar with these processes in the US， one might easily end up skimming a fair amount of the book which merely reiterates what one would already be familiar with。 Additionally， the translation into English is unfortunately not the best， as I believe it's an edited machine translation （DeepL）。 Probably this would have been a better read in the original Chinese， from a Chinese perspective， but it was still interesting to check out。 2。5 stars as is， probably higher if not for the translation。 。。。more
Ted Yang
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You should read the first 50 and the last 50 pages。 Good insights there that are very relevant still。 Other parts of it are US polisci 101。
Royce Ratterman
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This work is an interesting historic observation and analysis into 'life' as it was in the USA when Wang Huning， the most influential public intellectual alive today， lived in the Capitalist society of USA。 Wang Huning is a member of the CCP’s seven-man Politburo Standing Committee， is China’s top ideological theorist， and credited as being the 'ideas man' behind Xi Jinping’s assertive foreign policy， signature political concepts， including the China Dream， the anti-corruption campaign， and the This work is an interesting historic observation and analysis into 'life' as it was in the USA when Wang Huning， the most influential public intellectual alive today， lived in the Capitalist society of USA。 Wang Huning is a member of the CCP’s seven-man Politburo Standing Committee， is China’s top ideological theorist， and credited as being the 'ideas man' behind Xi Jinping’s assertive foreign policy， signature political concepts， including the China Dream， the anti-corruption campaign， and the Belt and Road Initiative， and even Xi Jinping Thought。 Though the USA has declined in most every area Wang experienced and writes about， this work remains of importance to anyone abreast of the USA's sociopolitical history and/or the downfall of societies throughout millennia。One gets the feeling that Wang's observations could have easily made a fine viewpoint for areas with which to politically 'target' USA's society in order to unhinge them， the unhinging that we see so prevalent today， or， more accurately， the systematic dismantling of the historic checks， balances， educational institutions （see: 2。 The Ignorant Generation）， drug use escalation， and the moral fiber and integrity of society at large， just to name a few。 "The system that produces the poor also produces the power to delegitimize itself。。。 The American system， which is generally based on individualism， hedonism and democracy， is clearly losing out to a system of collectivism， self-forgetfulness and authoritarianism。 Perhaps Americans would rather lose out economically than give up their institutions。"Mr。 Huning observes: "The donkey is the symbol of the Democratic Party and the elephant is the symbol of the Republican Party。。。 both parties represent the ruling class of society and control politics。。。 neither party has a set system of membership。。。 her party has a systematic theory。。。 neither party has a complete platform。。。 neither party has a tight organization。。。 This shows that the concept of two parties is very different from that of a normal political party。。。 In fact， there are not only the two parties， there are also many small parties， such as the Socialist Workers Party， the American Party， the People's Party， the Communist Party of America， etc。 But they have never become a major party that can compete with the Republican and Democratic parties。 One of the important reasons is that the two parties do not have clear boundaries， including a lot of "dissidents"， There is no need for them to take refuge in others or occupy the top of the mountain because they are excluded。"- and。。。"The Constitution， election campaigns， separation of powers， citizen participation in politics， and so on and so forth show one side of this system， but on the other side， can each commoner really dominate the politics of this country？ My analysis in this book shows that the powerful groups that dominate politics are above the common people。 The constraints of private property on political democracy in the capitalist system of the United States cannot be ignored。 Even American scholars have said that a political democracy cannot function properly where the differences in economic power are so great that one group can use non-political means to determine the woes of another group。""Grass-roots Politics， can be translated as [基层政治]， or [草根政治]。"- and。。。"Can the United States maintain its current position in the world？ Where will the United States go in the face of challenges from Japan and Europe， and possibly from China？ How will the U。S。 choose when the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries pose a challenge to the United States on all fronts？""The problem is that the existence of all the mutually exclusive factors and forces in American society， if they continue to move in this way， will not only make their advantages unavailable， but will also constitute an unstoppable undercurrent of crisis。"On a lighter note， Mr。 Huning was surprised how easy it was for him， being a foreigner， was able to get a drivers' license。。。 "This license can be used as an "ID card" and is valid throughout the United States。 No one asked me why I needed this ID card。 No one said that a foreigner could not get one either。" In today's California world， Huning would also be automatically registered to vote！ Unbridled corruption。- Other Excerpts:"At the University of California， Berkeley， there is a place called "People's Park"。 The so-called "People's Park" was originally an empty lot on Berkeley's campus， but it was later occupied by homeless people。 When I was there， there were hundreds of homeless people dressed in rags who spent the night there every day， some with small tents made of rags， others with newspapers on the ground， sleeping on the ground。 The dirty， filthy， listless appearance of these Americans did not fit the concept of America in any way。 Church charities came to give out breakfast each morning， and the university swimming pool was regularly opened for them to wash their bodies。""The development of the United States today， with its economic prosperity， its political process， its way of life， and its international status， has created a great deal of doubt in the world today。 People in the developed world carry this deep-rooted doubt: Has the development of human technology and material life reached this point？ Is it against the nature of man？ Will it lead to the depletion of the earth's resources？ Will it eventually lead to the destruction of mankind？""In today's world of pluralistic interests， ideological barriers and conflicts， it is true that the UN does not play the role it should。。。 Looking at the statue of a sword turned into a plow in front of the United Nations building， one wonders what methods one can use to melt the sword。""What are the main characteristics of the American people's spirit。。。 There is a nightmarish belief that they despise other nations and peoples almost to the point of paranoia。 They believe that their country is superior and that they are superior to others， and this sense of superiority produces a natural sense of mission and a belief that they are the highest hope of the world。。。 One of the major reasons why Europeans look down on Americans is that Europeans believe that Americans do not have a long cultural tradition and are uncivilized， like a group of "hicks" who have suddenly become rich。""In terms of taxation， I am afraid that there are the most detailed regulations。。。 the average person would have to study them for a long time。 There are rules for every detailed aspect。 If you violate these rules， you can be punished very severely。。。。In this respect， Americans are the least free。""Aristotle said more than 2，000 years ago that the family is the cell of society。 In the years since the war， the cell， the family， has disintegrated in the United States。 On the surface， the family is still the cell of society， but in reality， the real cell of society in the United States is the individual。。。 Aristotle said more than 2，000 years ago that the family is the cell of society。 In the years since the war， the cell， the family， has disintegrated in the United States。 On the surface， the family is still the cell of society， but in reality， the real cell of society in the United States is the individual。""Victor Hugo's monumental "Notre Dame de Paris" depicts the suffering and life of beggars in Paris。。。 Strangely enough， when walking in the United States today， which is the first country of the twentieth century with the greatest wealth， one always feels that there are many people who resemble this image。 They are dirty， filthy， poorly dressed， dull-eyed， slow-moving， and with a pathetic look on their faces that they cannot forget。 Such a number of people， constitute the twentieth century in the United States of the eighties beggar kingdom， also constitute a major social problems in the United States。 The official newspaper term for these people is Homeless， which means people who do not have a place to live。。。 The crime situation of the whole society can be ranked among the top in the world， and blacks are especially strong。 I heard a lot of stories about black people robbing Chinese people。 A friend said that once he accompanied a colleague to a restaurant and met two black people on the stairs with knives demanding money。" Imagine the shock Huning would have today！- Works that may be of interest to you:The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek （1944）The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt （1949）China's Hundred Weeds: A Study of the Anti–Rightist Campaign in China （1957–58） by Naranarayan Das1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows: A memoir by Ai Weiwei （2021）Putin's Playbook: Russia's Secret Plan to Defeat America by Rebekah Koffler （2021）-Another book Huning refers to in his work here is:"The Closing of The American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished The Souls of Today's Students" by Allan Bloom"What is Bloom's main argument？ Bloom's main idea is that today's university education no longer enables its subjects to grasp the traditional values that founded Western society。 The development of the university in modern times is increasingly moving towards a kind of cultural relativism and spiritual openness。 Cultural relativism requires spiritual openness。 But implicit in this cultural relativism is the logic that there are no absolute values in the world and that everything is acceptable or unacceptable。 This notion becomes a virtue。。。 In many societies， the problem often lies not in the institutions， but in the decline of the value system。 A society without a core value system encounters the greatest political coordination and management difficulties。" 。。。more
John Davie
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Very funny book， a bit along the lines of the old anthropological style of book; living with the x tribe or whatever， except its about the USA。
Sanford Chee
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https://palladiummag。com/2021/10/11/t。。。The real cell of society in the United States is the individual。 This is so because the cell most foundational （per Aristotle） to society， the family， has disintegrated。 Meanwhile， in the American system， “everything has a dual nature， and the glamour of high commodification abounds。 Human flesh， sex， knowledge， politics， power， and law can all become the target of commodification。” This “commodification， in many ways， corrupts society and leads to a numbe https://palladiummag。com/2021/10/11/t。。。The real cell of society in the United States is the individual。 This is so because the cell most foundational （per Aristotle） to society， the family， has disintegrated。 Meanwhile， in the American system， “everything has a dual nature， and the glamour of high commodification abounds。 Human flesh， sex， knowledge， politics， power， and law can all become the target of commodification。” This “commodification， in many ways， corrupts society and leads to a number of serious social problems。” In the end， “the American economic system has created human loneliness” as its foremost product， along with spectacular inequality。 As a result， “nihilism has become the American way， which is a fatal shock to cultural development and the American spirit。”Wang’s America: deindustrialization， rural decay， over-financialization， out of control asset prices， and the emergence of a self-perpetuating rentier elite; powerful tech monopolies able to crush any upstart competitors operating effectively beyond the scope of government; immense economic inequality， chronic unemployment， addiction， homelessness， and crime; cultural chaos， historical nihilism， family breakdown， and plunging fertility rates; societal despair， spiritual malaise， social isolation， and skyrocketing rates of mental health issues; a loss of national unity and purpose in the face of decadence and barely concealed self-loathing; vast internal divisions， racial tensions， riots， political violence， and a country that increasingly seems close to coming apart。As a tumultuous 2020 roiled American politics， Chinese people began turning to Wang’s America Against America for answers。 And when a mob stormed the U。S。 Capitol building on January 6， 2021， the book flew off the shelves。 。。。more
Andrew
，
The year 1989 witnessed a number of momentous geopolitical events。 The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the Soviet Union's collapse， and with it， the defeat of Eastern European communism as a serious ideological adversary to Western democracy。 Communist China did not seem too far behind， with the protests at Tiananmen Square betraying a seemingly inexorable wave of pro-Western sentiment sweeping Asia as well。 In the wake of the apparent victory of Western political philosophy over autocratic commu The year 1989 witnessed a number of momentous geopolitical events。 The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the Soviet Union's collapse， and with it， the defeat of Eastern European communism as a serious ideological adversary to Western democracy。 Communist China did not seem too far behind， with the protests at Tiananmen Square betraying a seemingly inexorable wave of pro-Western sentiment sweeping Asia as well。 In the wake of the apparent victory of Western political philosophy over autocratic communism， Stanford political scientist Francis Fukuyama made the euphoric prognostication that humanity had finally discovered the final and most perfect form of political and economic organization in liberal democracy and capitalism。 With no more geopolitical conflict， Fukuyama mused in "The End of History and the Last Man"， history was over。 Life would become decidedly boring as humanity shifts from conflict， struggle， and self-discovery to the maintenance of a perfect system。 How silly these predictions were， in retrospect。 Today， the battle between authoritarian rule and Western democracy continues in full force， writ large in the ideological confrontations between the US and China， and to a lesser extent between the US and Russia。 Fukuyama's 1989 prediction that economic liberalization would inevitably force autocratic regimes to liberalize politically seems like a frivolous daydream now。 Today， China continues to periodically bolster and crack down on its private sector， regulating industries from gaming to college tutoring to artificial intelligence R&D， in regular shows of brutal force that baffle American commentators。 Fukuyama's essay， especially as a symbol of the zeitgeist at the time， is particularly silly when you consider the fact that just a year prior in 1988， Wang Huning， a 30-year old professor at Fudan University， spent six months in the US wandering the country "like a latter-day Chinese Alexis de Tocqueville"， one contemporary article writes， developing an understanding of the mechanisms of American society and sowing the seeds for today’s geopolitical conflict。 Wang would eventually become a senior-ranking official in the Chinese politburo and the ideological brains behind Xi Jinping。 This is to say that to understand China today， you must understand its ideological underpinnings and trace the origins of its political thought。 Much of those origins began with Wang's foray in the US， which he documents meticulously in "America Against America"。 His book is an anthropological work par excellence， and for this reason， it can read a bit dry to the American reader。 Much of the book is a laundry list catalog of aspects of American life that someone who grew up in the US would already be well-acquainted with: American libraries， university curricula， physical geographical characteristics， political processes， local/state/federal government characteristics， the taxation system， municipal amenities， football games， and other customs that Americans take for granted。 Wang assiduously documents even the most apparently mundane details of American life in the '80s。 It does not help that， linguistically， Chinese does not have the same sort of complex， compound sentence structure that English does。 The net impact of his attentive documentation and potential linguistic artifacts lost in translation is that each individual sentence reads very boringly—simple descriptions of raw observations and the author's emotional reactions。 Each individual bit of analysis he makes is not particularly complex。 But in aggregate， the brush strokes combine to paint a fairly representative picture—not only of Wang's subject， the United States， but also of Wang's own thought， however subtle he was in presenting it。In this respect， I was a bit surprised reading the book。 "America Against America" took American media by storm this year， quickly becoming a work that journalists and public intellectuals described as a "must read" to understand the most momentous geopolitical conflict of our time。 But media coverage made the book seem much more sinister than it actually was—like the blueprints of a Chinese bureaucrat's grand， elaborate espionage plan。Certainly， there were a few sentences here or there that read somewhat eerily， given how the next few decades unfolded。 But for much of the book， Wang seemed to adopt more of a tone of admiration for American society than one of censure or antagonism。 For one， he seemed very impressed with the role of capitalism and American culture in creating broad-based economic prosperity， noting that it's a difficult problem for governments everywhere to make sure that economic gains are broadly distributed across demographics and regions。 Wang was undeniably impressed that even the farmers in the most rural areas of the US had access to infrastructure which the most developed in the third world do not。 He repeatedly credits the "commodity economy"， free market mechanisms， and an indomitable American spirit of innovation and pragmatism as responsible for such accomplishments。 On American attitudes toward innovation， he writes The development of a society cannot be achieved without the spirit of innovation。 The promotion of the spirit of innovation requires a society that encourages and accepts new and innovative ideas。 At the same time， the continuity of values is essential for any society otherwise social stability is unsustainable。t Wang's acknowledgement of the virtues of Western thought extends far back historically as well。 In the book， he regularly quotes Plato， Aristotle， Rousseau， Locke， Montesquieu， Augustine， Hegel， and Marx， as well as contemporary public intellectuals from the '80s。 One might say that Wang is deeply Machiavellian （i。e。， a student of Machiavelli）， to the extent that he views cultural phenomena like religion， superstition， presidential debates， etc。， through a highly instrumental lens—that is， considering how useful they are for promoting social stability， coordination， and control。That being said， modern China is ideologically Marxist， and Wang's method of analysis reflects this。 It's clear that Wang （and the CCP today） continue to think of historical development as an unfolding of Marx's dialectical materialism。 This manifests in the writing in a few ways。 First， for every political or sociocultural phenomenon， there is always a discussion of the good and the bad of the issue。 Take the quote above， for instance。 His admiration of American innovativeness does not come without a soberminded understanding of the consequences of innovation for its own sake—destabilizing inequality， centralization， alienation， and loneliness。 This stands in stark contrast to the highly ideological and adversarial nature of American political discourse。Secondly， implicit in his metaphysics is the view that historical conflicts are "contradictions" that get resolved in each subsequent world era， a quintessential mechanism in Marxist/Hegelian historical analysis。 For instance， he mentions that the "contradictions" caused by industrial capitalism （e。g。， alienation， modern loneliness， overworking， the erosion of the family unit） have been temporarily smoothed over by Keynesian welfare policies from the federal government （"the inhuman phenomena of capitalist society depicted and criticized by Marx， Engels， and Lenin have now only been resolved by the government"）—but even this edifice stands on shaky ground， when considering the myriad social burdens that it creates。 Other dialectical tensions and "contradictions" that he comments on include: the tension between diversity （affirmative action） and excellence， the inherent antagonism between democratic values and the highly centralized and hierarchical nature of America's political parties， the proper role of decentralized resource allocation （vis-a-vis capitalism and "the commodity economy"） in relation to centralized government （a regulatory body， rather than an active body）， individualism and collectivism （individualism is better for innovation， but collectivism is better for economic mass production）， and the conflict between individualism and the disappearing family unit （"the question is how to reconcile the evolving social spirit with the family"， "is human nature adapted to living a life with or without family emotions？"， and "what kinds of emotions should human society maintain in addition to sexuality？"）The Marxist historicist approach is certainly compelling， and his book is prescient for a couple of reasons。 First， he accurately diagnoses many of the US's recurrent problems: he notes the exhaustion and fatigue of factory workers in the 1980s （which mirrors today's conflict between warehouse workers and Amazon， the corporation）， the disintegration of the family unit and subsequent loss of social stability （which proponents of liberal modernity push as evidence of "progress"）， drugs and crime （which progressives have relentlessly campaigned to legalize）， and the "black challenge" （which describes the racial discrimination which allegedly motivated the protests and riots following the death of George Floyd）。 It is also prescient because， with respect to the negative facet of each "dialectic"， China has also made strategic adversarial moves in recent decades。 In the final chapter detailing the undercurrents of American crises， Wang points out major problems facing the US。 He mentions the American drug epidemic， and compares it to the historical export of opium to China—a period which still animates the CCP and appears as a point of humiliation in official documents （see "The Governance of China"） to this day。 Today， China allegedly is a major black market exporter of fentanyl to the US。 In a chapter on the American education system， Wang mentions the virtues of American museums， which attract children and inspire a love of technology; conversely， Wang describes the erosion of American ethical values through spiritual loneliness。 Today， Tik Tok allegedly shows Chinese children cool science experiments to try at home， while inundating American teens with eating disorder videos。 He concludes with a brief commentary on Japan， which was the single biggest threat to American economic dominance in the 1980s （at least， before the Japanese asset price bubble popped）。 The "Empire of the Sun" may not overtake the US in the near future， Wang notes。 But in a previous chapter， he ominously predicts: If one day the economic level between the East and the West is reversed， I am afraid that they will have to be regulated。 In fact， we won't have develop beyond them， just pull even， and the ideological battle may rise again。 A friend says that this is a good point， and that with a few more serious recessions， there will be a market for radicals。t The "market for radicals" has no doubt emerged in our fractured political landscape， so it may seem that the Marxist analysis was not altogether wrong。 But somehow it still misses some crucial components of history。。。 Yes， the contradictions of each world era set the stage for future developments， but perhaps the innovative role of the individual remains under-appreciated。 。。。more
Ved Gupta
，
An incredible book written after Wang Huning's 1988 visit to United States。 If you have some interest in American social， economic and political system， then this is a must read analysis。 An incredible book written after Wang Huning's 1988 visit to United States。 If you have some interest in American social， economic and political system， then this is a must read analysis。 。。。more
Gerard
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"Its not to explore the diverse dimensions， the colorful landscapes， and the intricate movements it depicts。"So it sets out to depict a completely imaginative non realistic landscape。 Why didn't he/she just write a science fiction book？ Seriouslyl， did you bang that out at 3:00 am after a 6 hour tequila bender？You literally just said this document had had no basis in fact。 "Its not to explore the diverse dimensions， the colorful landscapes， and the intricate movements it depicts。"So it sets out to depict a completely imaginative non realistic landscape。 Why didn't he/she just write a science fiction book？ Seriouslyl， did you bang that out at 3:00 am after a 6 hour tequila bender？You literally just said this document had had no basis in fact。 。。。more
Gabe Steinman Dalpiaz
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（The following bio of Wang Huning is taken from my website， a critical edition featuring translation from a team of China scholars as well as extensive footnotes will be published by Tikhanov Library this summer） A prolific writer and renowned theoretician， Wang Huning is the 5th most powerful person in the CCP。 Wang is believed to have been one of the principal architects behind the official political ideologies of three paramount leaders: "Three Represents" by Jiang Zemin， the Scientific Devel （The following bio of Wang Huning is taken from my website， a critical edition featuring translation from a team of China scholars as well as extensive footnotes will be published by Tikhanov Library this summer） A prolific writer and renowned theoretician， Wang Huning is the 5th most powerful person in the CCP。 Wang is believed to have been one of the principal architects behind the official political ideologies of three paramount leaders: "Three Represents" by Jiang Zemin， the Scientific Development Concept by Hu Jintao， and the Chinese Dream and Xi Jinping Thought of Xi Jinping。 He currently works as head of the Chinese Policy Research Office and chairman of the Central Guidance Commission on Building Spiritual Civilization。To simply list his accolades， however，would not do justice to Huning's unparalleled rise to power。 Seemingly a very private， intellectual， and unambitious person， Wang Huning has been a rising star since his 30's， when he became the youngest law professor in Fudan University history。 Three years later he was awarded a prestigious scholarship to see the United States as a visiting scholar for six months。 There is a famous anecdote from around this time that the President of Fudan University offered to promote Huning and give him a larger apartment， Huning laughed at the idea and told him that there were many scholars more deserving than him who could use the extra space。At Fudan University， Wang Huning was well regarded as a popular and charismatic professor， who's down-to-earth teaching style attracted large crowds of students。 His success in a series of international debating championships， where as coach he led the Fudan team to victory and international fame on numerous occasions， as well as his industrious work ethic， having published over a dozen books by this time， attracted attention from the highest ranks of Shanghai municipal government。 Zeng Qinghong， who later became China's Vice-President， is said to have personally sought out Wang at a wedding and spent two hours chatting with him。 Wang's writing was read and admired by Wang Doahan， Pan Weiming， Wu Banggou， and other members of the so-called "Shanghai Gang" which formed the base of President Jiang Zemin's power。 With so many powerful admirers， Wang was invited to relocate to Beijing by Jiang Zemin himself， which Wang reluctantly accepted。It was around this time that Wang Huning took a vow of silence in regards to the outside world。 Having at this point authored over 20 books and countless papers， Wang Huning ceased all publication through non-party journals， and stopped talking with many of his foreign friends。Wang started his career in Beijing as head of the politics group in the Central Policy Research Office， which is a branch within the CCP tasked with providing policy recommendations， developing ideologue， and drafting Party documents and speeches。 He was soon promoted to Deputy Directory of the Research Office， and in 2002， during the transition from Jiang Zemin's administration to that of Hu Jintao， Wang became a member of the Central Committee。 Wang Huning's meritous rise was not at all interrupted by this new era of leadership， and in 2007 he became a member of the influential Central Secretariat， which along with his directorship of the Research Office numbered him among the top 200 most powerful men in China。The rise of Xi Jingping has not tarnished Wang Huning's good fortunes， and in 2018 he was promoted again to member of the Political Bureau， the 25-man core of Chinese leadership。 This remarkable achievement， which has been widely publicized in the media， is all the more outstanding when considering the factional politics within the CCP， and the imprisonment of many notable members of the "Shanghai Gang"。 His remarkable career is no doubt， in part due to Wang Huning's renown as an intellectual， and many of his books， notably National Soverignity （1987） and America Against America （1991） continue to be read today。Written from notes taken during Wang Huning's six month visit to the United States， America Against America tries to answer one single question: "Why is there an America？" The conclusion is the koan-like title of the book。 Between these two seemingly simple extremes is a wonderfully complicated and nuanced journey into American society， and the multitudes of contradictions which define it。 Originally a companion to Wang's more theoretical work， Comparative Political Analysis， America Against America is as much an introduction to political science as it is a travelogue。 Always the professor， Wang Huning included this challenge to his readers in the original introduction to America Against America: "Sometimes people need to do a job that provides the opportunity to think， not to conclude。 The various real-life accounts in this book follow my thinking and conclusions， but I have also tried to make it an opportunity for others to think。" There is little doubt that America Against America is a book which people will be thinking about for a long time。 。。。more
Anonymous
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The first and final third are an interesting piece of sociological analysis from an outsider's perspective。 The middle third which details the structure of the U。S。 political system is probably best skipped for those familiar with it。 The first and final third are an interesting piece of sociological analysis from an outsider's perspective。 The middle third which details the structure of the U。S。 political system is probably best skipped for those familiar with it。 。。。more
Shushi
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国师的总结挺全面的但也没有什么独到的观点——以30年后的视角来看，美国的优势不如当年，但问题还是那些。网友自制版应该是OCR出来的，错别字稍多了些。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=America Against America
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=America Against America&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft