Clive Hamilton faced ridicule, censorship and academic shaming but he pursued the truth.
Silent Invasion was finally published.
In November 2017 my publisher shelved publication of my book, Silent Invasion, which detailed the influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Australia.
I was shocked. The publisher had been enthusiastic; the manuscript had been through expert review, revision, editing and legal vetting. Now, in a startling vindication of the essential argument of the book, Allen & Unwin said they feared retaliation from Beijing.
The biggest financial risk was lawfare: libel actions from individuals acting at the behest of Beijing, or its agents in Australia, ready to sacrifice $1 million in legal fees pursuing the publisher (not to mention the author). Even with no chance of success, a motivated litigant can impose crippling costs.