Duelling dynasties

by Michael Schuman

We all think we know how world history will play out over the next 50 years. China, bursting with nationalistic energy, will overtake the United States as the world’s largest economy and dominant superpower. The US, burdened by debt, stretched by imperial obligations and hamstrung by political infighting, will continue its relentless and inevitable decline. If the 20th century was the American Century, the 21st will be the Chinese century.

I don’t doubt that China will eventually ascend to superpower status. It’s already pretty close. But I also don’t believe China’s rise will be as smooth or effortless as so many analysts seem to believe. China is bound to suffer a few bumps and bruises along the road to global greatness. When the US was becoming a superpower, it passed through recessions, setbacks, crises, panics, even a civil war. Why would China be...

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Previews

Modern makeover

by Shen Dingli

China is a rapidly rising power. Its confidence is up after a continuous decade of spectacular economic growth. During the eight years of the Bush administration, its economic output quadrupled. Today it is the world’s No. 2 trading country and the world’s No. 1 exporter. It possesses the largest foreign currency reserves in the world. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, which saw the United States’s economy fall back, China sees a…

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The China complex

by Stephen S. Roach

The contrast between the world’s two most important economies couldn’t be sharper—the ascendancy of China versus the potential decline of the United States. The possibility of such an about-face does not sit well in Washington, where China bashing is on the rise once again. But this time, unlike earlier years, it may involve more than just words. In an era of acute labour market distress, the US could well ‘up the ante’ and… 

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The Chinese century

by Kishore Mahbubani

We are entering a new era of world history marked by two distinct features. First, after 200 years, we will see the end of Western domination of world history (but not, of course, the end of the West). Second, we will see the return of Asia. From the year 1 to 1820, China and India were consistently the two largest economies of the world. Hence, by 2050 or earlier, when they once again become the two largest economies of the world, we will…

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Blogs

American zombieland.

I'm interested in, though not entirely convinced by, Alyssa Rosenberg's theory that zombie movies are an expression of American yearning for a new frontier (see also here):…

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The GOP's new gay future.

Really, the news that Ken Mehlman, the 2004 George W. Bush campaign manager and former Republican National Committee chairman, is gay is more akin to political gossip than anything actual groundbreaking. Sure, it's always worthwhile hearing when people who have worked against gay rights reveal their…

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The view from here.

How much attention is America paying to the electoral turmoil in Australia? Some, though it's certainly not dominating headlines; a couple of folks round my building have asked me what's going on, and, less anecdotally, the New York Times had a reasonably thorough report on page 12 of its Sunday edi…

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Book review

Going Rogue

The poetry of Rudyard Kipling, George Orwell noted, is always good for a snigger in “pansy-left circles". And according to Claire Berlinski, so are the writings of the great populist hope of the American Right, Sarah Palin.

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Contributors

Contributors

The latest issue of American Review features essays by Michael Schuman, Josef Joffe, Stephen Roach, Kishore Mahbubani and Shen Dengli with contributions from James Fallows, Rory Medcalf, Tom Switzer and more.

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Worth noting

‘What the Heck Are You Up To, Mr. President?’: Jimmy Carter, America’s ‘Malaise,’ and the Speech that Should Have Changed the Country

As Republicans prepare to claw back Democratic majorities in this year’s congressional elections, Tom Switzer compares three books that help explain the rise, downfall and rebirth of the American conservative movement.

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