Schism

Financial journalist Paul Blustein, senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation – and author of, among other titles, The Chastening and Off Balance – recounts that American globalization proponents once saw China as a potential ally, edging toward democracy. Those hopes were never realized.

Blustein chalks up the disappointing outcome not to the United States’ missteps, but to China’s culture and politics. The author pulls few punches when describing Chinese mendacity or American incompetence. Discerning readers will find this an illuminating overview of the economic geopolitics of US–Sino relations.