The Truth About China's Challenge to America Two top experts parse the myths and realities about America’s perilous dance with its newest rival History is littered with the bodies of former great powers who failed to cope on and off the battlefield with the rise of a new power. China is fast becoming a true rival of the United States, and in this surprising, convincing book, two major foreign policy thinkers delve into the perilous consequences of this new dynamic. China now has the fourth largest economy, rivals Japan as a regional power in Asia, and controls an astonishing amount of our national debt. As the U.S. and China grapple with these unstable circumstances, unresolved issues–most likely Taiwan’s future status–could destroy the burgeoning partnership. In the coming contest with China, only smart decisions by our leaders will ensure that it’s fought with microchips and municipal bonds instead of nuclear bombs. Richard C. Bush (Fairfax, VA) is Director of the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution. Michael E. O’Hanlon (Bethesda, MD), a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, has written for numerous publications, including Slate, the New York Times, and Foreign Affairs. A frequent guest expert on radio and television, he is also the author of Brookings’s closely watched Iraq Index.
