But there is a precedent for Mr Trump's political blitzkrieg: Mao Zedong. While Mao, who launched China's violent Cultural Revolution, and Mr Trump share little in the way of geography, ideology, or ...

During his youth, Mao became a great admirer of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, from the classic Chinese novel Journey to The West (西游记).

This article appears in the April 2025 print edition with the headline “The Era of Might Makes Right.” When you buy a book ...