A review by hlau
Imperial Twilight by Stephen R. Platt

4.0

Initially I was not inclined to read this, as Western authors have been widely prejudicial on the topic, with few exceptions (it is also true that Eastern authors have been equally heavy handed and biased). I was surprised to find Platt's treatment to be even handed, though. A step by step accounting of the attempts at diplomacy on both sides, the sheer audacity and gall; the misinterpretations and the scale of influence from private individuals is documented incredibly well. One thing I never knew that Platt provided, was the stunning public rebuke at home in Britain, savaging the pro-war crowd for staining the honor of the British Empire with a war that would make them, in modern terms, a narco-military state peddling drugs to further their economy. They argued that the stain would taint their relations with China for the next hundred years. And they were not wrong.

It's rare to be surprised by a book on this topic. But this was very well done and worth the time to consume.