FOR THE COLD War warriors, the recent spy-plane confrontation between China and the United States has provided an ideological feast after years of famine. For Bill Gertz, it could mean a bonanza in book sales.
The China Threat is the product of an American journalist who has built his career on fuelling his nation's collective paranoia. The title could as well be The Red Menace. The premise is that China's Communist rulers seek world domination by building the world's premier military machine.
Unfortunately, this perception of China represents a powerful impulse among American politicians. Define yourself by your external enemies. It is no coincidence that Gertz backs up his arguments with a galaxy of Republicans, drawn, in some cases, from the wilder fringes of the right.
They are framed by exactly the same Cold War ideological mindset shared by many of George W Bush's administration. It is for this reason, rather than Gertz's conclusions or, indeed, the quality of his breathless prose, that the book becomes required reading.
The China Threat explains why American spy planes are baiting the Chinese military over the South China Sea. It also illustrates the increasing polarisation of American politics.
Gertz reserves many of his most scathing comments for the 'Clinton-Gore' administration, which he holds responsible for a series of perceived security gaffes that have enabled Chinese agents to steal American defence and technology secrets.