China Audiobook By Susan L. Shirk cover art

China

Fragile Superpower

Preview
Try for $0.00
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

China

By: Susan L. Shirk
Narrated by: Kyle Tait
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.19

Buy for $17.19

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Susan L. Shirk, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State responsible for China, knows many of today's Chinese rulers personally and has studied them for three decades. She offers invaluable insight into how they think—and what they fear. In this revealing book, you will see the world through the eyes of men like President Hu Jintao and former President Jiang Zemin. We discover a fragile communist regime desperate to survive in a society turned upside down by miraculous economic growth and a stunning new openness to the greater world. Theirs is a regime afraid of its own citizens, and this fear motivates many of their decisions when dealing with the US and other foreign nations. In particular, the fervent nationalism of the Chinese people, combined with their passionate resentment of Japan, and attachment to Taiwan, have made relations with these two regions a minefield. It is here, Shirk concludes, in the tangled interactions between Japan, Taiwan, China, and the United States, that the greatest danger lies.

Shirk argues that rising powers such as China tend to provoke wars in large part because other countries mishandle them. Unless we understand China's brittle internal politics and the fears that motivate its leaders, we face the very real possibility of avoidable conflict with China.

©2007, 2008 Susan L. Shirk (P)2022 Tantor
Asia China Ideologies & Doctrines International Relations Nationalism Politics & Government Thought-Provoking Imperialism Military War
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup
All stars
Most relevant  
Interesting historical data. Not useful in understanding china today. Well written and informative from a historical perspective.

Info is over 20 years old.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Copyright 2007-8. Don’t bother reading. A real waste of time. The information may have been relevant as of the date of writing, but certainly not now

Out of date

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.