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The Rise of China and the Future of the West
Summary --
China's rise will inevitably bring the United States' unipolar moment to an end. But that does not necessarily mean a violent power struggle or the overthrow of the Western system. The U.S.-led international order can remain dominant even while integrating a more powerful China -- but only if Washington sets about strengthening that liberal order now.
Submitted by Tatsushi F. (Apr. 29, 2009) on May 20, 2009 - 10:44am.
Ancient China, as is well know, was the most advanced and sophisticated civilization on earth. And the price for that accomplishment, also as is well know, has been her history
since the collapse of that civilization.
To understand the re-emergence of China today as a world power must be viewed with consideration of the DNA that is that ancient China.
Kenneth Lieberthal's encyclopedic survey of the People's Republic bets the Communist Party can keep the lid on the country's political discontent, but a billion increasingly affluent Chinese may be getting other ideas.
Over the past decade, China's leaders have pursued rapid economic reform while stifling political change. The result today is a rigid state that is unable to cope with an increasingly organized, complex, and robust society. China's next generation of leaders, set to take office in 2002-3, will likely respond to this dilemma by accelerating political reform -- unless a new cold war with the United States intervenes.
China's reform policies have created economic opportunities, but they have also unleashed political tensions. Some U.S. strategists advocate a containment strategy, yet such a strategy is both undesirable and infeasible. America's fortunes in Asia depend on the evolution of a China that is secure, cohesive, reform-oriented, and open to the world. Failed reform could easily lead to a nationalistic, obstructionist China. In recent years, Washington, while trying to engage the People's Republic, has driven it into a corner over human rights. America must develop a long-term strategy to integrate China into the world community and avert serious damage to this crucial bilateral relationship. And it must begin to do so now.
Washington's repeated attempts to bring peace to Somalia with state-building initiatives have failed, even backfired. It should renounce political intervention and encourage local development without trying to improve governance
Comments
The Rise of China
Ancient China, as is well know, was the most advanced and sophisticated civilization on earth. And the price for that accomplishment, also as is well know, has been her history
since the collapse of that civilization.
To understand the re-emergence of China today as a world power must be viewed with consideration of the DNA that is that ancient China.