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Book SynopsisFor decades, China''s rise to power was characterized by its reassurance that this rise would be peaceful. Then, as Susan L. Shirk, shows in this sobering, clear-eyed account of China today, something changed.For three decades after Mao''s death in 1976, China''s leaders adopted a restrained approach to foreign policy. They determined that any threat to their power, and that of the Chinese Communist Party, came not from abroad but from withina conclusion cemented by the 1989 Tiananmen crisis. To facilitate the country''s inexorable economic ascendence, and to prevent a backlash, they reassured the outside world of China''s peaceful intentions.Then, as Susan Shirk shows in this illuminating, disturbing, and utterly persuasive new book, something changed. China went from fragile superpower to global heavyweight, threatening Taiwan as well as its neighbors in the South China Sea, tightening its grip on Hong Kong, and openly challenging the United States for preeminence not just economical
Trade ReviewComplete with 64 pages of notes and a 15-page Index, her new book (which includes a fine analysis of the hot-button issues of Hong Kong and Taiwan) is an accessible and detailed account of where we have been with China, and how we got to this difficult state of affairs. * Dr. Cliff Cunningham, Research Fellow at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia, Sun News Austin *
Susan Shirk's superb new book addresses the singular question echoing in the corridors of political and commercial power: why is China asserting itself in ways that upset global order? Drawing on decades of experience, Shirk answers it with insights drawn from myriad sources. Overreach is an essential read for anyone seeking to understand where China is going--and what America must do in response. * Kurt Campbell, White House Coordinator for the IndoPacific *
A fascinating, behind-the-scenes investigation of China's internal politics that makes the unconventional but ultimately persuasive argument that the personalities, politics, and processes that have powered China's rise for decades are simultaneously subverting it. With Overreach, Shirk proves yet again why she is one of the most interesting thinkers and important voices on China of our time. * Elizabeth Economy, author of The World According to China *
In this timely and important book, Susan Shirk dissects the nature of China's emerging threat, driven by growing aggressiveness in foreign policy and Xi Jinping's tightening domestic grip. Overreach, she warns in jargon-free prose, has triggered an equally self-defeating overreaction from America, and without a dramatic change in policy could lead to war. * Jerry Brown, former governor of California *
Susan Shirk has both long experience and a deep understanding of China. Overreach offers an illuminating and sobering appraisal of where things stand today. It masterfully explains why China has taken its current worrisome course and offers invaluable advice as to how the United States should respond. An authoritative look at China in this critical movement in history. * Stephen J. Hadley, former National Security Advisor for President George W. Bush *
Susan Shirk's masterful dissection of China's political leadership reveals a Party-state in near-constant struggle against perceived threats, creating a vicious policy cycle for the country and its partners. As Shirk's brilliant analysis shows, this dynamic upends global stability and China's vaunted peaceful rise. * Charlene Barshefsky, former United States Trade Representative *
The book includes excellent access to sources and endnotes that support Shirk's analysis. * Choice *
Table of ContentsPrologue: How China Lost the West 1. The Origins of Overreach 2. Deng's Ghost 3. Inside the Black Box 4. The Rise and Fall of Collective Leadership 5. Loss of Restraint 6. Stability Maintenance 7. Strongman Rule 8. Going to Extremes 9. State pf Paranoia 10. Downward Spiral Conclusion: Overreach and Overreaction
