A Contest for Supremacy
China, America, and the Struggle for Mastery in Asia
Aaron L. Friedberg (Author, Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School)
“Sober and well-informed. . . . A careful and compelling examination of the U.S.-Chinese relationship from a number of angles.”—Financial Times
There may be no denying China's growing economic strength, but its impact on the global balance of power remains hotly contested. Political scientist Aaron L. Friedberg argues that our nation's leaders are failing to act expeditiously enough to counter China's growing strength. He explains how the United States and China define their goals and reveals the strategies each is now employing to achieve its ends. Friedberg demonstrates in this provocative book that the ultimate aim of Chinese policymakers is to "win without fighting," displacing the United States as the leading power in Asia while avoiding direct confrontation. The United States, on the other hand, sends misleading signals about our commitments and resolve, putting us at risk for a war that might otherwise have been avoided. A much-needed wake-up call to U.S. leaders and policymakers, A Contest for Supremacy is a compelling interpretation of a rivalry that will go far to determine the shape of the twenty-first century.
Book Details
- Paperback
- October 2012
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ISBN 978-0-393-34389-2
- 5.5 × 8.2 in
/ 384 pages
- Territory Rights: Worldwide
Other Formats
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Hardcover
Endorsements & Reviews
“His book is tough-minded and sometimes pessimistic but there is nothing hysterical about it. On the contrary, it is sober and well-informed… A Contest for Supremacy offers a careful and compelling examination of the US-Chinese relationship from a number of angles.” — Financial Times
“Considered, balanced, informative, and restrained.” — New York Times Book Review
“[Friedberg’s] is the most thoughtful and informative of a stream of China-threat books that have come out since the mid-1990s.” — Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs
“A Contest for Supremacy is a rigorous and comprehensive account of the state of U.S.-China strategic relations, and by far, the most thoughtful and serious book to date on the topic.” — Weekly Standard
“Friedberg has in fact written a judicious, measured assessment of the stakes between China and the United States over the next several decades…. He accurately characterizes the ‘willful, blinkered optimism’ about the direction of Sino-American relations ‘in the academic and business communities and across significant portions of the U.S. government.'
….[Friedberg] has relentlessly exposed the intellectual and strategic weaknesses and errors of the prevailing mindset in Washington. For this, in fact, he deserves great credit.” — John R. Bolton, Hong Kong Economic Journal
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