2025 Book Recommendations-Mirage 1984:What Democracy Must Learn
Mirage 1984: What Democracy Must Learn by Carl J Chan
In an era when the global struggle between authoritarianism and democracy is no longer abstract but urgent, Mirage 1984: What Democracy Must Learn delivers a timely and unflinching critique of one of the world’s most powerful regimes. Through a series of incisive essays, author Carl J Chan dismantles the myth of the “Chinese miracle,” revealing how China’s rise under the Chinese Communist Party has not been a triumph of civilization—but a carefully engineered mirage built on oppression, ideological manipulation, and the erasure of individual rights.
This work is far more than a critique of China—it is a wake-up call to democratic societies. Drawing from ancient Chinese philosophy, modern political tragedies like Tiananmen and Hong Kong, and contemporary threats such as surveillance and disinformation, Chan outlines the moral lessons that democracies must urgently learn. The book is especially relevant for American policymakers, as it explores how complacency, division, and economic complicity threaten to undermine the values that define a free society.
Topics span from Mao Zedong’s rise to today’s digital totalitarianism, touching on judicial independence, censorship, nationalism, cultural control, and the global spread of authoritarian narratives. Each chapter serves as both a historical investigation and a philosophical warning.
For research libraries, policy institutes, international affairs centers, and institutions concerned with freedom, governance, and civil society, Mirage 1984 offers essential insights. It is an indispensable resource for those seeking to understand not only China, but the fragility of liberty itself when democratic values are no longer defended with clarity and conviction.
Mirage 1984 belongs on the shelves of those shaping tomorrow’s global policy discussions—because defending democracy requires more than strategy. It demands truth.
Mirage 1984: What Democracy Must Learn
ISBN-13: 9798290774541
The book is now available on Amazon
