I read "2034", the war-between-America-and-China pop thriller by Adm. Stavridis, the retired admiral and NATO commander.
First, it’s a bad book. In the basic ways in which books are bad. The writing is bad, the characters are one-dimensional, the plot has glaring holes.
First, it’s a bad book. In the basic ways in which books are bad. The writing is bad, the characters are one-dimensional, the plot has glaring holes.
But it’s also revealing as a window into the worldview of a senior member of the deep state.
What’s striking is what’s omitted as much as what’s in the book. Like:
- God. There is a war, people die, cities are incinerated by nuclear fire, and nobody ever prays, or even asks why a just God would allow these horrible things. One of the main characters is an …
- God. There is a war, people die, cities are incinerated by nuclear fire, and nobody ever prays, or even asks why a just God would allow these horrible things. One of the main characters is an …
… Iranian Revolutionary Guard general, and he seems to have no religion. One character quotes Scripture: the book’s villain.
- Congress. Just nonexistent.
- Yoorup. Globalists in the US natsec establishment like to talk about "allies" endlessly but this book assumes …
- Congress. Just nonexistent.
- Yoorup. Globalists in the US natsec establishment like to talk about "allies" endlessly but this book assumes …
… their inexistence, without even a throwaway line about how the French/Brits/whatever are/aren’t helping. A crucial plot point hinges on the Atlantic fleet having to rush to the Pacific to confront China, leaving Russia free to engage in mischief, but surely in such …
… circumstances the French and British navies would be happy to take up the slack, but it is assumed they don’t exist. The Russians carve out parts of Poland with no effort, which even before Ukraine would seem rather presumptuous. Nice, from a former Commander of NATO.
(As Stavridis surely knows, the French Navy routinely defeats the US Navy in NATO exercises.)
Other telling things:
- Every single military man in the book is a Good Guy, every villain is a politician. Even the admiral who leads China’s attack on America is an honorable, competent officer, like every officer in the book, whether Russian, Iranian, Chinese or American.
- Every single military man in the book is a Good Guy, every villain is a politician. Even the admiral who leads China’s attack on America is an honorable, competent officer, like every officer in the book, whether Russian, Iranian, Chinese or American.
America’s decline is attributed solely to "political dysfunction". Just in case you were wondering about how the guy with stars on the epaulettes feel about civilian command of the military.
- And, of course, there is The Diversity. The main bad guy, who is desperate to turn a conflict between America and China into a global nuclear Holocaust is, of course, a White Man. The main good guy is Indian-American, and works up the courage to confront the villain when …
… he commits a racist microaggression against him. (Before quoting Scripture, in case you didn’t get the message.) There’s also a Lady Admiral, who is of course perfectly able and competent, and the President is also a girl.
By the end of the book, America has been turned into a third world hellhole because of its own mistakes, but the reader is treated to a homily (in the form of the protagonist’s internal monologue) about how it’s okay, because America Is An Idea.
I wish I was joking.
I wish I was joking.
The book really presents as the "maybe the real treasure was the friends we made along the way" moral of the story the idea that patriotism is an outmoded concept, because the real patriotism is to the idea of America, "which cannot be defined by borders."
This end presents two ironies, of which the book seems completely unaware:
- The villain commits a racism by questioning the protagonist’s patriotism because of his origins, but it turns out he switches allegiance to his country of origin (but it’s good because Patriotism Bad)
- The villain commits a racism by questioning the protagonist’s patriotism because of his origins, but it turns out he switches allegiance to his country of origin (but it’s good because Patriotism Bad)
- The protagonist switches his allegiance because of the afore-mentioned high-minded reasons, but it just happens to be perfectly timed to when America goes down the tubes and his new nation is ascendant. This might be the most realistic part of the book lmao
This book left me rather scared that America’s senior military leaders have spent basically zero time wargaming a potential war with China? Or, even worse, that they *have*. Obvious scenarios and complications seem to have been completely not-contemplated.
It’s kind of striking how down on America this book is. (Spoiler alert.) America suffers two tactical nuclear strikes, wiping out two cities. This, apparently, is enough to turn America into a third world place where travelers are advised to bring their own toiletries. This is…
… such an absurd conceit coming from someone who exercised senior responsibilies in government. The whole point of the book is that America is a giant with feet of clay that only requires a shove to topple.
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