You do not have to read this book for long to realise that this is little more than a rehash of 'facts' that are currently viewed as being 'politically expedient', with actual realities never getting a look-in. The entire book is devoted to analysing the attributes of the four, both good & bad, then using America as a yard-stick when scoring them. The author then summarises, citing the country's strengths & weaknesses, and offers them advice on rectifying these problems. Maybe this methodology is fine where 'hard-power' is concerned, but it's tough to stomach when the author recommends say, more "democratic" policies, as if the 'West', and the US in particular, were the only political systems that one should aspire to. Particularly ironic given that democracy in America has long since had its hey-day, the US becoming more and more a National Socialist State as each day passes.
Equally irritating throughout this book is the constant conjuring up of the "terrorist" bogey-man. Reference is made repeatedly to 911, the author even commending some of the countries (China and India in particular) on their immediate responses after this "outrage". While it is possible that many/most countries initially believed the 'terrorists-with-bolt-cutters' story, there is now overwhelming evidence to the contrary - yet 12 years on, Mr Kwang Ho Chun was still promulgating this poppycock as if it was fact! Given that the US is directly responsible for the deaths of more than 2,000,000 Iraqi's since the war that it started on a pretext that has since been proven to have been a blatant lie, it must be obvious to most who the real terrorists are!
This book may as well have been produced by the Rand corporation for all the 'unbiased' opinion it exhibits. In fact, to my recollection, there is not a single critical comment regarding America to be found anywhere in this book. Maybe that's hardly surprising given that the author is from South Korea - although the "South" part has been deftly omitted - making him far from unbiased towards American foreign policy.
All of this might make me seem anti-American, when in fact I'm not. Just a romantic who dreams of the world that the American Ideal originally espoused, not the tyrannical hegemony that it is fast becoming. Even the American public is (finally) becoming jaded at the direction that the "Land Of The Free" seems to be heading in. Which is why the rats in charge are now looking to take away their guns! But I digress.
Long story short, not a very satisfying read.
