Dragon Defanged

Democratic President Earl Eastwood seeks re-election againstthe formidable Connecticut Governor Sophia Kallias, aRepublican moderate with winning appeal to the criticalindependent vote. A unifi ed Third World infl uenced by Chinaoffers him the global presidency at the United Nations, if heloses the US race. Eastwoods dependency on China curdleshis loyalties. He needs Chinas endorsement for the UN job. And Chinese foreign investment is the only viable source ofjob growth in a badly recessed US economy. The Chineserecruit the fi nancial wizardry of Swiss-based Nikos Rallisto fashion a Swiss-Brazilian network of equity funds. Thenetwork launders US investments of Chinese-ownedBrazilian companies. They covertly acquire control ofCanadian and US shale oil and gas stakes and theirpipeline conduits. The network then infi ltrates criticalUS defense technology sources. Eastwood, a brilliantpolitical tactician and the fi rst African-Americanpresident, must act forcefully as he learns of theChinese scheme. His rigid, West Point ethicsare challenged by ambition, and his complicatedromantic life.