Destined for War

Destined for War is a brilliant study of the circumstances surrounding the global economic competition between the U.S. and China, with the goal of predicting whether or not war is likely. This is a real-life political thriller. Allison cites cases throughout history of a pre-eminent economic power being challenged for supremacy, and then describes why, in many cases, the competition became fierce enough to erupt into war. He also describes situations in the past where there was no war, and he explains how and why war was avoided. To me, as a fiction writer, who actually pushes the U.S. and… show more.

This book is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand the rivalry and the ‘inevitable’ conflict between the United States and China. Allison makes some compelling comments on the contrasts between Chinese and American worldviews. The author talks about how both countries approach foreign policy, more importantly, what the West needs to know and needs to do in order to come up with a comprehensive plan to cope with China and other international concerns.