Post China Trip Reflection, by JP Salazar

                Before preparing for this trip to China, I thought I had a good idea about what China was all about. Growing up in California, the constant bombardment by American media about the dangers that China posed to our way of life framed my perception of that country on the other side of the world. I thought, like many Americans do, that China is a threat, a competitor, and was so different from the United States in its people, government, and culture that there could not be much for me there in terms of learning opportunities and personal growth. While I had always wanted to visit Asia, I always assumed that all a trip like this would be is a great sightseeing opportunity, where I would take some good pictures and have some good times, but nothing more. Instead, I was surprised to find how much I learned not just about business and culture in China, but about myself as well.

                To say that I was uninformed about China coming into this experience is an understatement. Ignorant would be a better description. While I had heard of the Cultural Revolution, the Great Firewall, and Tiananmen Square, I was blissfully unaware of the change that had been going on in China. At the time, I had no reason to focus any energy on understanding what was going on there. In my view, it was a developing nation a half a world away, so how could China have an effect on me, right? The little exposure I had to China all came through the recent hysteria in American media characterizing China and the debt issue as our next big threat. This reactionary and knee jerk response, typical in the last decade for American media, helped to frame my perception of China as the big, bad threat to my American way of life.

                Upon entering this program, it became clear that understanding China and international business was going to be a cornerstone of our MBA program. I was quickly bombarded with more information about China in my first three months in the program than I had ever hoped to know before. What struck me with the more exposure I received was how most of my preconceptions about China were unfounded. They were not necessarily wrong, but what I began to realize is that China is so big and contains so many people that trying to classify or contain what China is in a neat little set framework is a futile exercise. Add to this the constant change and recent economic growth in China and what may be true one day could be totally wrong the next. This realization really peaked my interest and caused me to dive into trying to catch a glimpse of how China has gotten to where it is today, what the future can hold for China, and how this growth and development will affect my personal life and career here in the United States. What really got me hooked on China, you might say, is the idea that no one can ever really know what all of China is about. Due to its constant change and huge variety of people from block to block, city to city, and province to province, you could study China for a lifetime, travel throughout the country, and immerse yourself in all thing Chinese and still not be able to peg down what China is all about. I took this sense of uncertainty about what China really is and where it is heading as a sort of challenge. I became inspired to try and drop all of my preconceptions about China and try and approach this entire experience, from the predeparture assignments and meetings to the trip itself, with as open a mind as I could possibly have. I knew I could never become an expert on China, especially after visiting for only two weeks, but I knew I could try and learn as much as I could and hopefully act as an ambassador of sorts to China for young Americans trying to expand their horizons and relay the lessons I learned there to people here at home.

                If someone had asked me a year ago to describe China, its government, and its people in a few words, I would have been quick to answer, a controlling and oppressive threat to my way of life. I was raised to believe that communism is the evil to capitalism / democracy’s good. I thought that the people of China were more reserved and in control of their feelings and did not enjoy the same personal freedoms that we do as Americans. I thought that the Chinese government policy of buying up American debt was a direct attempt to weaken the US economy. Most of all, I thought that Chinese policy was steady and tightly held in place.

                Today, if I were to be asked to describe China in a few words, I would be much more hesitant to try. While my two weeks on the ground in China has given me more exposure to this country than 99% of all other Americans, if there is one thing I learned it is that the size of China and scope of change taking place in the country right now makes this exercise seem constricting and small minded. If I had to, though (as almost everyone here back at home has tried to make me do now that I have returned), I would say that China is a country full of contradictions and opportunity.  

                Identifying China as a land of contradictions was an interesting revelation for me to come to. Going into this trip, I had heard so much about the economic rise of China and the threat that this growth posed to the American economic system. It amazed me to visit a city like Shenzhen which has been literally built from the ground up within my lifetime. Twenty years ago, this city was a small village built on marshlands, and today it is a sprawling city , full of skyscrapers and industry, and at six to eight million people, Shenzhen is larger than any US city. The amount of growth still happening there was mind boggling as well. It seemed as if every other storefront, roadway, or building was under construction. Everything I saw in China was new and clean, from the roadways, the buildings, and the foliage. But in these same, brand new cities, I saw people going to the bathroom on the street. I saw people taking their trashcans from inside their stores and dumping them on the sidewalk. I rode in taxis that spent more time driving on the shoulder, running red lights, and driving on the wrong side of the road than they did following the traffic laws. Another example of the extreme contradictions that take place in China was discussed in our visit to Baidu. Here we had a very candid discussion about censorship in China and how it affects business practices and how the Chinese people view this. There were three major viewpoints that encompassed how most Chinese felt about their government’s policies. There are the ardent nationalists who are very proud of their national heritage and their government, the rebellious types who would like to see more personal freedoms and change in their government’s policies, and the pragmatists who just lived their life and don’t really care to much about government policy as long as it doesn’t affect their day to day life. What I found to be really interesting was the idea that most Chinese have a combination of the three inside of them. This concept really helped me to better understand how China has gotten to where it is today and how change develops in this country. While the average Chinese person does not care too much about government policy in their day to day lives, if they feel like their freedoms are being infringed upon, or if an outsider dares to criticize their government’s policies, they will speak out with equal determination. This leads me to my last real eye opener regarding the contradictions that I see in China. The common perception amongst Americans is that the Chinese government is oppressive and the absolute rule of the land. While this is true in some instances, I think it is more of a posture than anything else. On the one hand, the Chinese government has had policies in the past that are aimed to control and directly deter any type of unrest amongst its people. However, like any one party system, the real goal of the party is to stay in power. To do this, the Chinese government understands that without the support of its people it cannot remain in power. Therefore, while it might maintain an overreaching and powerful façade to outsiders, the Chinese government is much more receptive and conforming to the will of the people than I ever could have imagined. If the people want it, it will happen, faster than you could believe.

                The opportunities available in China, to foreigners, the locals, and the government alike, seem to have no bounds. During the past decade, China has undergone such dramatic change that it is impossible to know where it will end up. The country is poised to become a dominant world power financially as long as its social structure can hold up. For the people of China, this economic rise and westernization of their country has led to them receiving more personal freedoms and more connectivity than they have ever experienced before. With this growth come new opportunities for business as well as an increase in their standard of living. One thing I was very surprised to notice, something that was pointed out to me by a local Chinese man in a conversation I had at a bar, was how important public status has become with this increase in wealth. It was not enough to have money and buy the things you want; rather it was more important to be seen with the newest iPhone, BMW, Gucci purse, or the like. For foreigners, this tremendous growth and the “newness” of it all presents some unique opportunities. For one, just by simple supply and demand economics, if you want to make a living in China bad enough, it is definitely doable. There are so many new businesses opportunities constantly arising that all it takes is effort (sometimes a lot) to become successful. However, it is important to realize that things are done differently in China, especially relating to business. This itself leads to many opportunities for foreigners in China not only to expand their own personal horizons, but to bring to China some of the western practices that might be better suited to this new paradigm developing in China now. A great example of this was in our group trip to Sealed Air. During this visit, the Sealed Air team asked our opinion on what business practices should be followed for some major company decisions. In our exchange, we were able to describe how our small group of westerners would approach some of the issues that were facing the company. While we did our best acting as consultants for the day, I believe there is real value in sharing these different viewpoints when making big, costly decisions. The ability to come to the table with a different take on how to do things can be a very profitable opportunity to capitalize on for foreigners looking to make it in China.

                The major lesson I will take away from this China trip experience does not relate just solely to business. If there is one thing that I learned it is that the people, policies, and happenings around the world are much more tightly woven than I ever thought before. It is foolish and impractical to assume that your way of life, your bubble if you like, will remain unchanged forever. Things are happening around the world that will have a great impact on how every person, American and Chinese alike, continue to live their lives. For me, it really opened my eyes to the fact that I will not be working and raising a family in the same environment that my parents did. The world is changing all around us, and our bubble is much larger then we would hope to look. This is just more of a reason to become more of a student of life, remaining open to experience new things. If we close ourselves off and continue to only focus on what is right around us, we run the risk of the world passing us by. Sticking your head in the sand and complaining about the change happening in the rest of the world in not a reasonable response to that change. Instead, we can be better served by understanding the change and figuring out where we can make it in this new world of ours.

                Overall, this China trip was an experience that I will never forget. The amount of change going on in that country is addicting. Due to this trip, I am determined to make my way back as soon as I can. It definitely instilled in me a goal of finding a career where I could travel back to China at least once a year for business. However, the pace of life in China is something that I do not think I could handle full time. As much as I enjoyed stepping out of my comfort zone and experiencing new things, it is not something that I could personally take on indefinitely. Being there for a short amount of time gave me a decent understanding of what it takes to make it in China, and I am sorry to say that I might not have it. While I know I am capable of working and performing anywhere, it takes a certain drive and desire to make it in a foreign country, especially in a place like China. I am just a little too fond of my American comforts. However, I am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to experience this trip, and I plan to get as much leverage as I possibly can from it. If I could do this again, I would take the opportunity in a heartbeat.

Book Review of Fareed Zakaria's The Post-American World, By JP Salazar

Overview

                In The Post-American World, author Fareed Zakaria describes the development and evolution of the economic and political atmosphere worldwide. He describes how America rose to become the economic, political, and military leader of the world, and how recent developments have begun to erode that position of power. Zakaria goes on to describe the implications that this transition will have on the global balance of power as well as how it can potentially affect the lives of Americans here at home.

               

                Fareed Zakaria is the current editor of Newsweek International, and has a weekly column on international affairs. A native of Mumbai, India, Zakaria first came to America as a young student eager to take advantage of the opportunities he felt were available to him here. While initially enchanted by the possibilities he saw, Zakaria began to criticize the decisions American policy makers were leading the country in. He was disappointed in how America was trying to position itself in the face of economic and cultural change. Throughout his book, The Post-American World, Zakaria identifies many decisions that have put America in an awkward, or even detrimental, position with respect to emerging world powers. While critical of the stance that America has taken in response to change, Zakaria makes sure to deliver suggestions for how to navigate this new economic and political landscape.

Relevance

                Since the end of the Cold War, America has held the distinction as the global economic, political, and military leader. But as Bob Dylan would say, “the times, they are a changing.” The recent economic development of Brazil, China, and India is shifting how power is balanced around the world. Billions of people around the world are being lifted out of poverty, and as a result, are beginning to find their voice. Countries that have traditionally not been players on a world stage are now beginning to challenge the status quo. No longer does America have the clear distinction of being the singular great superpower. And as the world changes, the decisions and stances that America makes in response can have lasting effects on the economic and political structure both here at home and globally. As Zakaria puts it, “at the politico-military level, we remain in a single superpower world. Bu tin every other dimension… the distribution of power is shifting, moving from American dominance.”

               

                The Post-American World is an excellent tool to help people understand how the global economic and political landscape has shifted over time and to get a better view of what America’s place has been in it. It does a fantastic job of illustrating how things will continue to change and provide suggestions for how America can continue to be a global leader. It is important that people understand that change will happen regardless of whether we want it to or not. What matters is how we, as a country, respond to this new balance of power. In essence, there is going to be a shift of power from the haves to the have-nots. From an American point of view, this can be very dangerous as America traditionally has nowhere to go but down. Zakaria asks that we view this shift in power a different way. Instead of seeing this as something to fear, he describes it as a challenge and an opportunity for America to reestablish itself as an innovator and leader on the global stage.

Where Zakaria Excels

                Overall, Zakaria’s book is extremely well written. He is able to communicate a relatively abstract idea of a post-American world in a way that is relatable and east to understand. His style is rather informal, and he is capable of presenting factual evidence in a way that is both relevant and powerful. In comparison with the other two books we have reviewed this year, The Post-American World is able to combine the best elements from each. Zakaria’s style is as approachable and inviting as James Fallows’ Postcards from Tomorrow Square, while as detailed and in depth as Suzan Shirk’s China: Fragile Superpower. Zakaria’s approachable and understandable style made The Post-American World a relatively easy read while still providing the reader with loads of information and suggestions about what America’s place will be in this new political-economic landscape.

               

                In The Post-American World, Zakaria is able to identify problems with the American viewpoint on its global positioning. He identifies a very important question: Does America have the ability to recognize its own decline in global position and the determination to respond to this situation and remain a global power? Where Zakaria really shines is in his ability to provide suggestions for how America can respond and what stance it should try to take in this new paradigm. According to Zakaria, one of the leading problems facing American society is the apparent contradictory nature of American viewpoints and actions. For example, the US has been leading the move towards globalization, but now that it is beginning to take hold we are turning our backs on the process as the results are not what we intended. “Just as the world is opening up, America is closing down.” In order for America to remain a major player on the world stage it needs to address this issue. America cannot stop these changes from taking place, and it only hurts their position globally to try and curb or ignore the signs. The problem that America needs to address is exactly how they will fit into this new power balance. There is an opportunity for America to tackle this issue head on and be proactive in shaping its future role. However, the longer America delays in addressing this issue, the more the rest of the world will develop and begin to carve out its own seat of power, independent of the United States.

               

                One issue that I think Zakaria really identifies well is the concept of foreign perceptions of the United States and their implications, especially in reference to Islam. Here in the US, there has been a growing resentment towards Islam ever since the attacks on 9/11. While this trend has subsided in recent years, there is still a thought that all Islamist are alike and they all have the same view of America, that of an evil imperialistic power. But Zakaria does an excellent job of debunking this concept. Just like in America, there are conservatives and radicals within the Islamic community. He states that “some Western leaders speak of a single worldwide Islamist movement – absurdly lumping together Chechen separatists in Russia, Pakistani backed militants in India, Shiite warlords in Lebanon, and Sunni Jihadist in Egypt.” But by doing this, we are giving them power. If we can identify these groups for what they really are, “small, local gangs of misfits hoping to attack attention through nihilism and barbarism,” it would rob them of their claim to represent Islam. Once we recognize that these militant groups are a minority and not the apocalyptic threat they have been made out to be, we can begin to recognize the diversity in the Islamic world and their viewpoints on America. What is surprising to find out is that a majority of the people we see as being a threat don’t really care as much as we thought they did. According to Zakaria, “The world is moving from anger to indifference, from Anti-American to Post-American.” On a side note, I found a related comment made by Bill Chillingsworth very interesting on our class trip to the Port of LA. He stated that he is a registered Republican, but voted for Obama because of the foreign perception of the political system here in the United States. He said that as an international businessman, perceptions about your values and your country’s political agenda play a major role in getting business done. I found it interesting that the effect of foreign perceptions are at play on a much smaller scale than global political and economic power balance. It is telling how important these perceptions can be on a global stage when individuals feel the need to address these issues on their own.

Where Zakaria Falls Short

                Overall, I did not have many criticisms of Zakaria’s The Post-American World. However, I do feel that the author’s tone was a little too opinionated of my liking. To be fair, the author makes no excuses for himself and is very direct in providing his opinions on America and its values. However, I honestly feel that they author takes an overly critical view of American policy. By his own account, Zakaria came to America full of hope and optimism. But through his experiences here in the United States, and his view on the policies enacted by our government, I think he has become a cynic of sorts. While he makes no claims that his book represents an unbiased view of the global economic and political atmosphere, there were certain opinions that I felt were politically or culturally driven. While I might agree that the Bush administration caused quite a bit of harm to the perceptions of America in this post-American world, I felt some of the comments were pointed and unnecessary over the course of the book. Many of Zakaria’s comments throughout seem rather personal and detracted from the overall message. These personal opinions and attacks seem out of place and petty within the context of this rather high-level and conceptual book.

Closing Thoughts

                I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the developing global economic and political landscape that America is facing in the near future. The changes in global attitudes and political positioning will have an effect on everyone both within America and around the world. It is naive to think that America can manage this change through flexing its own political muscle. The Post-American World does an excellent job of highlighting the issues that Americans will be facing due to this shift in power and describing their implication. Failure to respond to these problems can have disastrous effects on the future well being of America. Zakaria does a fantastic job of relating these issues to the average American and leaves the reader with a feeling of optimism for the future by describing how America can shape its role in the post-American world.

Book Review of Susan Shirk's China: Fragile Superpower, by JP Salazar

Overview

                Susan Shirk is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Clinton Administration. As an expert in Chinese politics she was responsible for understanding how Chinese economic growth and political structure threaten to change the status quo. After leaving politics, she returned to teaching and is now a professor at the University of California, San Diego. In her book, China: Fragile Superpower, Shirk attempts to describe the underlying causes of China’s political stance as well as explain the effects that this stance has had on its growth and how it is seen in the global community.

                Shirk’s goal in writing China: Fragile Superpower is to try and explain the differences between how China sees itself and how the rest of the world views it. She does this by explaining how China’s domestic policy is formed and how these policies affect how China interacts with the rest of the world. She states that China is in the middle of huge amounts of change and that it has the potential to become one of the world economic and political leaders. She warns, however, that how the Chinese view their own growth and place amongst the rest of the world is quite different than what we expect. Shirk tries to explain how the changes going on in China affect the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) outlook on domestic and international policy, and how this continued change will affect the balance of power around the world.

Relevance

                The world is changing all around us at an unbelievable pace. While globalization as a concept has been around for decades, it has really started to take off in the last ten to fifteen years. China’s role in this new paradigm has yet to be established, but it has the potential to be a major player. In a very short time from now, China’s economy will surpass that of the United States in size. This will mark the first time in modern history that the leading world economic power is not a western nation and is not a developed nation. It is important for us as Americans to understand how this shift will affect the global balance of power. It is also important to understand what effect a powerful China can have on the United States.

                The Chinese and US economies are inextricably linked. China has been sustaining the US economy for years by purchasing a lot of its debt. Until now, there has been a very profitable relationship between the US and China. China’s huge growth is due to its development of manufacturing centers within the country where companies can take advantage of the low cost of labor. This manufacturing growth, and the resulting growth of the economy, is based on the demand for cheap good around the world. In America, we can attribute our quality of life directly with the availability of cheap Chinese goods. Without a China capable of meeting the US demand for goods, Americans would be forced to make do with less. On the flip side, China’s manufacturing growth is only a result of the continued demand for cheap foreign goods by the US and the rest of the world. Without this give and take between China and the US, both economies, and especially the people who live there, would feel that effects.

                In her book, Susan Shirk argues that a powerful China is much less dangerous to the United States as a weak China. Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, China is quickly becoming a dominant, if not the largest, political and economic force in the world. But its rise is fragile. China’s domestic issues will forge how China will interact internationally. It is important for people to realize, however, that this is not necessarily a bad thing. Continued Chinese growth brings additional stability to a nation that for 150 years was not a player on the world stage. The growth of the Chinese economy and its rise within the global political landscape creates many opportunities for positive change. Not only are the people of China experiencing a quality of life that was never available to them in the past, but there is an opportunity for the US government to create a mutually beneficial partnership with this rising power for long lasting stability and peace.

Where Shirk excels

                One of Susan Shirk’s greatest strengths in her book, China: Fragile Superpower, is her ability to lay the groundwork to help understand how decisions are made by the Chinese government. She identifies the most important issue for Communist Party leaders is to simply maintain control. As a result, it is Chinese domestic policy that requires the most attention from the government. Every policy they make and every stance they take on an international stage is done to help control the masses. She does a great job in showing how the Party’s fear of losing control is constant in every aspect of Chinese government. For the Party to maintain power, they must remain popular. The Party can not survive without the support of the people. China has a long history of violent regime change that results in the establishment of a new order. The CCP is constantly aware of the fact that their own rule is only a result of a violent uprising within the last century. This issue is an important one to understand because it helps us to frame the decision making process of the CCP in the appropriate context. While some directives and responses the government takes can seem heavy handed by outsiders, it is important to understand where the government’s motivations lie to critically assess the situation.

                Another strength of Shirk’s book is its ability to describe how the Chinese government is able to maintain control of its people and what the effects of their actions has on both the Chinese people and how China is viewed abroad. The Chinese government is able to maintain control through the use of military power and its propaganda machine. She states, “The CCP has two powers, the gun and the pen, and it must control both.” Chinese leaders have always understood that their success rides on the continued support of the Chinese military. China is a country undergoing massive amounts of change. As a result, some people feel as if they are being left behind and choose to speak out. China has a long history of protests, and violent ones at that. The government relies on the military to keep demonstrations under control and to help flex the government’s muscle. But this comes with a price. Outsiders view the relatively harsh actions that the Chinese military takes on its own people as proof that China is still an authoritarian state. Recent events like the T. Square incident and the continued oppression of the people of Tibet in lieu of the 2008 Olympics give the allusion to outsiders that all the people in China are oppressed and downtrodden. But the Chinese government realizes that without their “long arm of the law” it would have difficulty controlling its people. Shirk identifies one of the Chinese government’s major concerns involves a small uprising gaining support and growing into a national movement. The Chinese military is crucial for the government to contain these fears. The other way in which the government exerts its control over its people is though its propaganda machine and the control of information. While other books and information I have been exposed to reveal how China is able to control information to its people, where Shirk excels is in her ability to demonstrate why and what effect it has on its people. The propaganda department of the CCP has a huge amount of power within the Chinese government, but I do not see this continuing to last. The

                What I really enjoyed in Shirk’s book is her description of how intense Chinese nationalism rears its head in all Chinese policy. She does a great job of showing how the Chinese identity is rooted in thousands of years of tradition and how this comes out in all different types of issues. I like how she is able to relate this feeling of national pride to the outlook of the people of China as well as how the government is able to take advantage of this feeling. I think she was very effective in showing both the benefits and dangers of the strong sense of Chinese nationalism. What I found extremely interesting was how wide-spread support for the government as a whole was linked to the sentiments of nationalism. However, I also found it interesting that this hard line nationalism often served as a disconnect from local economic interests.

                Susan Shirk does an excellent job of identifying the key issues that are important in Chinese international policy. She very plainly, and repeatedly, states that the majority of international policy and concern is aimed at dealing with issues regarding Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. Before reading this book, I had a very shallow understanding of the relationship, or lack thereof, between China and Japan. I had learned of the history between the two nations in school, but I had no idea about the deep rooted resentment still held onto by the two nations. What struck me from her discussion of China-Japan relations was the kind of victim response that each county identified with. China is still upset about the actions the Japanese took during WWII when they invaded China and slaughtered hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people. And rightfully so. But this occurred in a different time, and China is a different place now. Japan, on the other hand, feels that the growth of China’s economic and political power in the region and worldwide will marginalize the importance and independence of Japan. They see China’s development as a treat to their way of life. What they fail to realize is that if they could work together they could be a major influence on the future development of the region and establish both nations as world leaders. But because each nation sees itself as the victim of the other’s actions, they both choose to continue to blame each other for their own misfortune. The growth of both nations can be stunted if they continue to work against each other rather than with each other. What I am really interested to understand is how the current situation in Japan with the tsunami and nuclear disaster is being reported in China and how the people in China view the disaster. I would like to think that there is a general feeling of empathy for the plight of the Japanese people, but I can not substantiate this claim. Is the Chinese government reporting on the full extent of the disaster? What kind of spin is being put on it? Is the Chinese government planning on providing any type of aid? What are the young people’s reactions to the disaster? These are all questions that I would like to have answered as they can give us some very good insight into how Chinese – Japanese relations have evolved since the release of Shirk’s book and as a result of this event. This disaster, while an unspeakable tragedy for the people of Japan, can actually act as platform for relations to improve between China and Japan.

Where Shirk falls short

                My main critique of Susan Shirk’s China: Fragile Superpower is how she chooses to focus on the details. In our last book review for James Fallows’, Postcards from Tomorrow Square, I said I liked how Fallows was able to give a good comprehensive look at some of the issues facing today’s China without getting bogged down in too much detail. As Professor Carr put it, it is like looking down at China from a 10,000 foot perspective. The logical progression for our study of China is to look at views that are more detailed and focused on certain issues. However, I think Shirk takes this a bit too far. My impression of this book is that it is dense with information. I mean real dense. While reading, I found myself getting bogged down in the details at many points, and this really affected my understanding of her main points. A lot of times I felt like I was missing the forest for the trees. Shirk is attempting to provide a comprehensive look at how China is changing and how this will affect its people, rulers, and the rest of the word. But she is doing so by providing an extreme level of detail. Relating this idea to the “10,000 foot perspective,” I felt like this book was attempting to give a 1000 foot perspective by taking street level snapshots and fitting them all together. In the end, the final image, while comprehensible, seems fuzzy and out of focus.  

Closing thoughts

                Overall, I thought Susan Shirk’s China: Fragile Superpower was an extremely well written book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about the growth and changes going on in China and how it relates to the world as a whole. The book gives a comprehensive overview of the true strength of Chinese growth and how it is viewed both domestically and around the world. Shirk also does a great job of applying what she discussed to what the effects can be for us here in the United States. However, this book does cover some very complex issues, and her desire to cover so many topics leads to some heavy reading. This is not a book for someone looking for some light reading on China trying to just get a general overview of key issues. This is an in depth look at why Chinese policy is the way it is and how it effects both its own people and the global status quo.

                Despite my issues with the intense depth of this book, I thought it was a great choice to continue our understanding of China. I think Shirk did a great job of providing follow up for our initial “10,000 foot view” of China. She really began to expose us to some of the details and the nitty gritty stuff that forms the basis for Chinese policy. As a result of reading this book I definitely think I have a clearer picture of why China is poised to become a major player on the world stage. In addition, I think I have a better understanding of the opportunities and dangers that may arise from the growth of China into a world superpower. And in the end, isn’t that the point of our MBA program, to help us to understand the risk and rewards that are out there so that we can be successful in our professional lives?