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A War Like No Other: The Truth About China's Challenge to America | 
 enlarge | Authors: Richard C. Bush, Michael E. O'hanlon
Publisher: Wiley
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 278022
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.1
ISBN: 0471986771
Dewey Decimal Number: 355.033551
EAN: 9780471986775
ASIN: 0471986771
Publication Date: March 30, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
"Nobody approaches the objectivity and precision of Bush and O'Hanlon when it comes to analysis of the military and political dimensions of the Taiwan issue. This is one challenge that U.S. policymakers and military strategists cannot afford to get wrong, and scholars cannot afford to ignore."
- Michael Green, former Senior Director for Asian Affairs National Security Council
The Showdown to Come
In 1995, during a heated discussion about that year's Taiwan crisis, a Chinese general remarked to a U.S. diplomat, "In the end, you care more about Los Angeles than you do about Taipei." In a single sentence, he both questioned the level of America's commitment to a longtime ally and threatened massive, perhaps nuclear, retaliation should the United States intervene militarily on Taiwan's behalf. In the end, President Clinton sent two aircraft carriers to the region, and China ceased its military exercises in the Taiwan Strait. A decade later, however, China is much stronger, both economically and militarily, and it holds a significant amount of America's national debt. If another Taiwan crisis should occur-as it almost certainly will-would China back down?
In A War Like No Other, you'll discover how little it would take to transform the close cooperation and friendly rivalry between the United States and the People's Republic of China into the first-ever shooting war between two nuclear powers. This chilling look into one possible future offers thoughtful advice to both governments on how to reduce the chances of such a nightmare actually occurring. Two Brookings Institution scholars offer specific prescriptions on how the two nations can improve communications, especially in times of crisis; avoid risky behavior, even when provoked; and, above all, remember which buttons not to push.
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| Customer Reviews:
It's All About Taiwan! December 21, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
America's reaction to Tiananmen Square, quick victory in the first Persian Gulf War, and Taiwan have changed China from modest growth in military spending to accelerated military modernization and buildup. Its acquisitions (long-range missiles, aerial refueling capabilities, advanced destroyers and submarines - mostly acquired from Russia) cannot be explained simply as preparations for possible war against Taiwan, a mere 100 miles offshore. In addition, when "push comes to shove," China believes we are more interested in Los Angeles than Taiwan. Meanwhile, the FBI believes China has set up over 3,000 "front" companies to acquire military or industrial technology illegally from the U.S.
On the other hand, China has also achieved some very positive steps - fostering economic growth and a very successful anti-poverty program, reduced oppression of its people, and cessation of fomenting Communist takeovers among its neighbors.
The authors list a number of possible causes of war between the U.S. and China, and heavily discount them all - except for the issue of Taiwan. Not only is this a very serious "face" issue for the Chinese government, it has also become one for the U.S. as well.
Bottom Line: "A War Like No Other" is a reasonably good book; however, I greatly prefer "China: Fragile Superpower" by Susan Shirk for its broader perspective.
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