Haunted by Chaos: China’s Grand Strategy from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping

by Sulmaan Wasif Khan

An American Interest Top Book of the Year“Khan has unraveled the mystery of Chinese grand strategy, showing why insecurity lies at the root of Chinese power projection… Readers will not find a shrewder analysis as to why the Chinese act as they do.”—Robert D. Kaplan, author of The Revenge of GeographyBefore the Chinese Communist Party came to power, China lay broken and fragmented. Today it is a force on the global stage, and yet its leaders have continued to be haunted by the past. Drawing on an array of sources, Sulmaan Wasif Khan chronicles the grand strategies that have sought not only to protect China from aggression but also to ensure it would never again experience the powerlessness of the late Qing and Republican eras.The dramatic variations in China’s modern history have obscured the commonality of purpose that binds the country’s leaders. Analyzing the calculus behind their decision making, Khan explores how they wove diplomatic, military, and economic power together to keep a fragile country safe in a world they saw as hostile. Dangerous and shrewd, Mao Zedong made China whole and succeeded in keeping it so, while the caustic, impatient Deng Xiaoping dragged China into the modern world. Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao served as cautious custodians of the Deng legacy, but the powerful and deeply insecure Xi Jinping has shown an assertiveness that has raised both fear and hope across the globe.For all their considerable costs, China’s grand strategies have been largely successful. But the country faces great challenges today. Its population is aging, its government is undermined by corruption, its neighbors are arming out of concern over its growing power, and environmental degradation threatens catastrophe. A question Haunted by Chaos raises is whether China’s time-tested approach can respond to the looming threats of the twenty-first century.

Genres: China, History, Politics, Nonfiction, Asia, International Relations, Asian Literature

324 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 9, 2018

About the author

Sulmaan Wasif Khan is Assistant Professor of International History and Chinese Foreign Relations at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He also directs the Water and Oceans program at the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy (CIERP). He received a Ph.D. in History from Yale University in 2012. He has written for The Economist, The American Interest, Prospect, e360, and YaleGlobal on topics ranging from Burmese Muslims in China to dolphin migration through the Bosphorus.

Reviews

[Murtaza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its not so often that you get to read a book that is so heavily based on primary source documents from official archives, yet remains compellingly written and accessible. Sulmaan Wasif Khan drew on internal Chinese Communist Party records to compile a political history of the People's Republic from the period of Mao until the present. In doing so, he describes the grand strategy that has motivated China's rulers over the past century, in both domestic and foreign policy.

Under the Communists the territory of China was miraculously reunited as one body during a period when it had fractured into an array of competing warlord fiefdoms. Following the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, it was very possible that China could've broken apart into two or more countries, particularly during the period when Chiang Kai-shek was still vying for power. In a sense Mao was very much an Ataturk-like figure, who (mostly) held the country together as a political unit, albeit at great human cost. In doing so he used a mixture of repression, pragmatic compromise and ideological fanaticism. Even some of his most horrible policies, like the Great Leap Forward, were driven by a basic belief that security and stability is very much tied to domestic economic wellbeing — a belief that continues to animate CCP leaders today. He did not anticipate the policy would be such a disaster and it was only thanks to the resilience of individual Chinese smallholders and a few sensible officials that further calamity was averted.

As Khan credibly argues, China's leaders up to today are still driven by a gnawing fear that the country will fall apart once again, due to either internal or external threats. Even as the PRC has grown into a behemoth this basic insecurity continues to haunt its leaders. Given that all of China's leadership generation so far, including Xi Jinping, have direct personal memories of the nightmares of either the warlord era or the Cultural Revolution, it is understandable that they see the world in fraught terms. Khan is quite sympathetic to their predicament.

Despite their insecurity China's modern leaders have achieved success by remaining cautious and pragmatic in most of their foreign policy decision-making, though issues like Taiwan continue to retain the potential to trigger emotional nationalism. The CCP is willing to talk to anyone, including adversaries, and has a fundamentally defensive posture in foreign relations. They resent any attempt to "contain" them in their own perceived sphere of influence, but are always willing to recalibrate relationships based on the circumstances. As Khan correctly points out, the greatest threat to CCP rule may end up being the ecological disaster that material progress has brought China over the past several decades.

This is a useful book for those interested in China today (which should be all of us), as well as its future social and political trajectory. In addition to the extensive research that Khan did, I was pleasantly surprised by how beautifully written much of the book was. This is a rarity for an academic text and not what I was expecting at all when I first picked it up. Very edifying and appealing scholarship.

[Hadrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I consulted this book again after reading it some time ago, and much of it still holds up. I thought then, and I still think now, that this is a useful overview of foreign policy from a Chinese perspective, that it makes skillful use of archival sources, and it is even a quick read.

Much of the book, understandably, is devoted to the Mao period, where he was head of state, de jure or de facto, from 1949 until his death in 1976. He believed in unifying China, guaranteed by military power, and its ability to act alone if needed, although in balancing other great powers' interests. While there is little talk of communes in today's China, this broad outline still is in place today. While Mao and Deng's domestic policies could not have been more different, they both had the same goal - industrialization and modernization, and the economy remains a pillar of national security.

Haunted by Chaos is also a reminder of previous issues in the US-China relationship. For one, the problems that Chinese leaders and diplomats have had in understanding what China is going to do next. Where there is a case that American leadership had misinterpreted Chinese intensions for so long, it is a stunning reminder to read about how Mao completely misinterpreted American intentions in Korea in the 1950s, or on the issue of Taiwan in general.

That leads to the second point - that balance between beliefs and cold pragmatism. Mao was a dyed-in-the-wool communist, but he also could strike deals depending on what he felt was in his interests. He was always willing to search for new alliances or partners of convenience. Even before the stunning meeting with Richard Nixon in 1972, he made brief overtures to test the waters with Japan, only a few years after the invasion.

This volume is still a useful overview, and I would seriously recommend it to students and general readers alike.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

These days, when reading a book on China, I try to avoid books seeking to pontificate and lead the reader toward a pre-determined conclusion, rather, I prefer to do as Deng Xiaoping advised, 'seek truth from facts'.
As such, my reading choices, at least on China, are often determined on whether that book has the potential to offer new insights, or approach modern China from a particular perspective.
In both these respects, providing new insights, and looking at modern China from a a particular perspective, in this case Chinese grand strategy, Haunted by Chaos ably delivers.
In following the predictable narrative, in tracing Chinese grand strategy from Mao to Xi, Sulmaan Wasif Khan illustrates how the People's Republic of China was often a fragile hope rather than a sure thing, and one has a greater appreciation of the various pillars that contribute to the delicate art form of assuring state security.
Wasif Khan maintains a decent amount of emotional detachment, and one never gets the feeling that this is anyway a sensationalist or alarmist piece (for a more alarmist view of Chinese strategy read Michael Pillsbury's The One Hundred Year Marathon), rather it offers what one would desire, a history of Chinese strategic policy and the factors shaping it.
Haunted by Chaos is both readable, informative and academic, and as such is recommended for both strategy and China enthusiasts.

[Tianxiao · Rating 5 out of 5]

忘了在哪里看到过一个说法：在中国，传统文化搭台，政治文化唱戏。对于“不安全”的恐惧一直缠绕在生活在这片土地的人们心中，越害怕、越集中权力、越想尽一切办法消除异己。然而客观规律从来不以人的意志转移，斗转星移王朝换代从未停止，又深深加剧了这种恐惧，直至今日。

[Song · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read to understand the histories and conducts of contemporary China foreign policies, domestic politics, and even more importantly, the personas of China paramount leaders from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping.

After finishing the book, the reader can answer the following questions: why China is taking some well-reported actions nowadays? what're the logics behind these actions? where these logics came from? how they will be changed in the future under what kind of constrains and challenges?

Anyone who wants to understand today's China headline news shouldn't skip this book. Author Sulmaan Wasif Khan knows China so well, and too often I thought he's a Chinese guy. For example, he used pinyin to spell the Chinese people and place names strikingly perfectly without any slight mistakes. Even for a Chinese intellect, this is not an easy requirement.

[Jason Friedlander · Rating 4 out of 5]

A high 4. I wished more time was spent on the post-Deng leaders, but I still thought this was a fantastic overview of Chinese leadership over the past hundred years. I got a better sense of the CCP point of view of the world and their role in it and I feel much more confident about reading about their current plans around the world in more depth.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

"With great power comes great insecurity."

Haunted by Chaos: China's Grand Strategy from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping is a resolute attempt to sum up Chinese grand strategy over the last 100 years. Separated into five chapters, along with an introduction and a conclusion, Khan focuses on five phases of Chinese development: the founding of 'China' in the Second World War and Civil War; Mao's China; Deng Xiaoping's China; Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao's China; and finally, Xi Jinping's China in the modern era.

According to Khan, Chinese grand strategy has changed little over time, even less from leader to leader. In all eras, the goal of grand strategy was the same: to secure a better future for Great China. Whether this meant conquering Tibet, taking control of the religious establishment or rapprochement with the US, all roads led back to securing the great state of China. Khan makes many valid - and some profound points - in this book, but they are reserved in the introduction and first chapter, and the final chapter and conclusion. The three chapters in between tended towards repetition, and did not seem to add much to an understanding of modern Chinese history.

"The past, real and imagined, hung as heavy on them as it does on us all; it bent them toward certain features and rendered others unthinkable.

In discussing current China and Xi Jinping, Khan strikes a middle ground between demonstrating continuity with China's recent past and exposing the increasing discontinuities with traditional Chinese grand strategy. His point about Xi Jinping's inability to escape the past - in more ways than one - is a warning not just about China, but should be applied to the current state of the world as a whole. The past will always influence our actions, but we should be looking to the future for direction if we want to move forward. All in all, Khan paints a solid picture of Chinese grand strategy, and he points towards China's most likely path forward; but his insights are few and far between - though when he makes one, it is profound.

[Sajith Kumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

China is now the world's second superpower that harbours a clear ambition and an action plan to be the first in a few decades. But the political system of China is fundamentally different from that of the United States, whom it wishes to supplant. Civic liberties are unheard of in China, and the Communist Party has been immensely successful in shielding its people from the radars of the ubiquitous communication devices offered by technology. All major social media sites such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are blocked in China. Fear of social chaos is what drives the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the state to curtail personal freedom. The country has been under the rule of puppet kings, warlords and rival party factions for a long time in the last two centuries. Even the much fabled celestial kingdom was not entirely free from the threatening forces of Central Asia, Mongolia and the Manchus. All this made the state paranoid about the safety and integrity of the country. Stability was gained only in 1949 when the CCP drove the Guomindang across the straits of Taiwan to hold sway over the entire mainland. Even then the party was always awake to the threat from within and without. Its rulers adopted a Grand Strategy in dealing with other nations. They considered economic well-being as the prime factor that guaranteed the stability of the state. This required trade with foreign partners. China was willing to strike a deal with neighbours even when a persistent dispute over a border territory or an island in the sea stood unresolved. This was put in place by politicians who were not men of the staff colleges or management institutes. Theirs was a peasant’s wisdom, a sense of where they wanted to wind up and how. There was no overall master plan and there were instances when human emotions bypassed strategy, ending in failure. China geared up military power, diplomacy, economic planning and domestic policy towards long term interests. This is neatly chronicled by Sulmaan Wasif Khan, who is an assistant professor of international history and Chinese foreign relations at the Fletcher school at Tufts University. Even though I searched hard on the Internet, his nationality could not be ascertained.

This book looks into the reigns of all the leaders of modern China such as Mao, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping. However, the first two were responsible for consolidating political power and unleashing its economic potential respectively. All the others have been content to maintain their hold on the rudder and lead China safely through the vortices and rocks of international trade and commerce. The present incumbent Xi Jinping shows signs of greater aspirations and a longer stay at the helm as seen by acts such as engraving Xi Jinping Thought as a guiding principle of China on the lines of Mao Zedong Thought. Only time can tell how far he would succeed in this venture. It cannot be denied that the country was glued together by the pragmatic streak exhibited by Mao when he maintained room for compromise in his deals with rivals although it was left unwritten and informal. He allowed a mild form of capitalism under the euphemism of democratic economy.

Mao, who can be legitimately termed the father of modern China, employed a grand strategy of the judicious use of force, diplomatic outreach and appropriate management of political economy to annex territories outside his control such as Tibet and Xinjiang where the clout of the Han community was minimal. On the external front, he put forward the famous five principles of foreign policy for peaceful coexistence that included mutual respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual noninterference, mutual equality and benefit, non-aggression and peaceful coexistence. However, when an opportunity knocked on the door, these principles did not hinder Mao in waging a war with India on an arcane border dispute and forcibly annex its territory. China's plan was to limit threats to national security by maintaining as many friendly relations as possible. He was not averse to open up trade relations even with the US, if it stopped backing the breakaway state of Taiwan. All in all, Mao has been successful in keeping the state whole and establishing a balance of power with external parties, even though his failed campaigns such as the Great Leap Forward resulted in manmade famines in which 40 million people perished.

While Mao was a master of political theory, it was his successor Deng Xiaoping who steered the economy and the people to prosperity. Instability was the one thing that Deng wished to avoid at all costs. Instability could tip into chaos at which point all hopes of modernization would die. His firm belief was that the economy was the final guarantor of national security, and continued the established foreign policy that insisted on overall amicable relationship with a foreign partner even when differences on specific issues continued to plague the relations occasionally. This strategy found its expression in the islands of the East and South China Seas which is contested between China, all other Southeast Asian nations and Japan. The festering territorial disputes did not hinder China in striking up lasting business ties with those countries. Deng’s realistic approach harmoniously solved the issues connected with the return of Hong Kong to Chinese control after the 99-year British lease came to an end in 1997. Hong Kong was the epitome of Western capitalist economy and democracy. It was expected that Hong Kong’s financial supremacy would be irrevocably lost when it came under China’s archaic socialist philosophy. Deng stole the wind out of his detractors’ sails with the idea of ‘One Country, Two Systems’. With this, he could foist capitalism in the island, while holding on to socialism in the mainland. There have been protests brewing in the erstwhile British enclave as its free people could not digest the Chinese state’s maxim of guaranteeing economic benefits, even if uneven, in exchange of political obedience.

The book is neatly written in a crisp style and encapsulates the history of the nation from the Second World War. The author credits Mao with far greater insight and pragmatism than merited by facts and takes great pains to stay clear of controversy when recent events are described. His stunning achievement is in identifying the unbroken thread of China's Grand Strategy from the times of Mao to Xi Jinping. At the same time, Khan also showcases the instances in which it veered wildly from the strategy when nationalist sentiments of the leaders came into play in foreign policy. These are displayed by China's humiliating defeat at the hands of Vietnamese forces in the brief war of 1979 and the Taiwan missile crisis of 1996. When all aspects and arguments of the book are taken into account, the ineluctable conclusion one reaches is that Wasif Khan has made a good job in the face of great odds.

The book is highly recommended.

[Ben Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Khan reveals a very different China from the uncompromising monolith which pervades the popular imagination. Khan's China is open to compromise, willing to cooperate in pursuit of mutual benefit. It is, however, driven by the specter of revolutionary instability. Khan identifies this fear as the source of Chinese unwillingness to compromise on any policy which would threaten the sanctity and oneness of the state.

This book is a window into the anxious psyche of the paramount leaders of China. It is an empathetic, well researched, and thoughtful summary of the sources of this angst. Highly recommend to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Chinese policy and the often very emotive forces that inform it.

[CHAD FOSTER · Rating 4 out of 5]

To use a popular metaphor employed most recently by historian John Lewis Gaddis in his study of grand strategy, Chinese policy since the advent of the PRC has combined both the single-mindedness of a hedgehog and the adaptability of a fox. The survival of the Chinese state (or, perhaps more accurately, the preservation of the centralized authority of the Chinese Communist Party) has served as the country’s constant azimuth. But starting with Mao, China’s leaders have chosen ever-shifting paths to serve their interests, making ideology subordinate to practical concerns. Beijing’s “State Capitalist” model is the product of this process of adaptation.

Beyond the fascinating examination of both the continuity and evolution of Chinese strategic thought, this book offers yet more proof that rigid adherence to ideology, especially collectivist ideology, doesn’t work ... and never will. Mao and his successors recognized this and adapted their policies to reality with great success. The failures and shortcomings along the way, such as the tragedy of the Great Leap Forward and the horrors of the Cultural Revolution, were experiences that showed the Chinese that a rigid approach to Marxism would never work for their country.

The mindsets of modern Chinese leaders were shaped by the early period of insecurity for the People’s Republic of China. As the country and its place in the world changes, how will it’s strategic thinking change? How will Beijing adapt to the world around them? The answer to this question will help define the 21st century.

[Nick Frazier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relatively short read detailing the PRC's approach to grand strategy from the founding under Mao until present day under Xi.

First and foremost, establishing and protecting the state drives all grand strategy (not just China's). However, the internal narrative of being occupied and weak for a century further drives this. The annexation of large outer territories is an attempt at creating buffer space (Xinjiang, Tibet, South China Sea etc).

PRC leaders are willing to use a variety of state tools to include diplomacy, economic, and military - much like any other state. However, China's growth creates a security dilemma with challenges on either side. From the front, small countries and existing powers are concerned about PRC's rise. From the rear, the historical fear that the state could be broken apart. Together, these create a more cautious approach to mitigate risk, use time to the advantage, and ultimately achieve their goals.

Finally, the protection and flourishing of the state only goes so far. PRC's economic growth comes with significant environmental concerns. Rapid industrialization and terraforming generated smog-filled skies and insecure water sources. What's the point of gloriously getting rich if the land is inhospitable. Xi inherited a basket of advantages and constraints he will have to navigate.

Good read to develop empathy from the PRC's strategic outlook.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less of a magnum opus and more of a fast paced review, this book discusses Chinese grand strategy from the Chinese Communist Party's beginning as a guerilla force to its present day superpower. Overall, the author points out that everyone from Mao to Xi has been influenced by the instability that China faced during the turn of the previous century. The search for security means that the CCP prizes its sovereignty in its relations with foreigners and seeks to prevent a unified front against itself. This book is well written and fast paced and would be useful as a review to familiar readers or as a jumping point for people interested in foreign relations. Definitely recommend this book along with On China by Kissinger.

[Shreya Prakash · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book puts a very specific lens on China's leaders - the Grand Strategy that shaped their actions, both internally and externally.

So while not comprehensive of the events that unfolded in China over the last century, I read it like a management book. For the most part, the Grand Strategy of Chinese leaders has been pragmatism, where bridges are built not burnt.

The tenets of this philosophy that I especially liked were
- disagreements can be issue-specific while conversations to protect the overall relationship must never cease. A rational way to build alliances even with partners one doesn't fully see eye-to-eye on, on several key issues
- the Balance of Power approach where China has attempted to be a better friend to each of the major powers than they are to each other. This has been in service to their security and sovereignty
- "Friendship is something ritualistic, performed; you must go through the ceremonies and motions to create it. Proclaim friendship often enough, and it just might be forced into existence." A quote that underlines the pragmatic approach to alliances that all of the Chinese leadership have had

It was also interesting to see how apart from Mao and Xi, the other who came in between were content to work behind the scenes, not interested in building a "cult of personality" or actively believing that it would harm their work. They achieved great things, bringing China the growth that would make it a super power.
Xi Jinping is different, legend-like stories about his youth abound and cast him in an impossible light.

This is not a comprehensive account of China and is dated too, being published in 2018. But I enjoyed reading about the way the leadership thought about things like national security, foreign relations and economic reform.

An interesting book for those interested in China or forging alliances as part of their work.

[Andrew Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

The intention of this book, Khan tells us in the footnotes, was to do for China, what John Lewis Gaddis' magisterial 'Strategies of Containment' did for the United States. A one volume comparison of the different forms of grand strategy pursued, highlighting similarities and differences. Mostly, he succeeds.

Haunted by Chaos is a deeply researched, finely written analysis of the formation and foreign policies of modern China. From Mao through Deng, Jiang, Hu and Xi we see common themes - an obsession with keeping the state intact. This requires ultimate cohesion behind the Party, economic growth, a balance of power and strong armed forces.

Like many analyses of grand strategy, I sometimes find it hard to parse the distinctions between what is 'strategy' and what is merely the pursuit of good over bad, interests over irrelevancies. Yet Khan succeeds in showing similarities of method, including the PRC's willingness to talk, the overall cold rationality about relationships (though emotion rules on some issues such as Taiwan), and the belief escalation can be dialed up or down.

This is an empathetic study of the PRC, but in the best sense of the term. Strategy requires understanding the use of force to achieve political outcomes. If we do not understand those whose politics we wish to change - do not understand how they see and think and fear - then we can never hope to influence them. I picked up this book wondering if the title pointed to ideas the west could use against china in case of a future war. I put it down convinced there is still great scope for avoiding war, but not confident the current leadership of either the PRC or the West will be wise enough to ensure it.

Recommended.

[Jk Baseer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fulfilling Long read. Tools almost few months to finish it but it’s seems to be the worth

The author has done a great job after first 50pages. It was confusing at the first but his later chapters has the consistency and connection of few important strategies the different rulers has learned


Few interesting things

- Keep communication open whatever the case. Whether you are fighting or Friendly with neighbours countries
- Be close to the Super powers than they are closer to each other (security mindset)
- Don’t stop the relationship because of one matter and keep the other matters open to discuss. Because risking the whole relationship can affect you from security to economic advantage (something I really got inspired)
- Use diplomacy, then use money and if both doesn’t work out > go for power based fight
- Smaller countries should not be neglected. So don’t be Too proud. Help them and they will help you
- “Don’t interfere in internal politics of other countries. Go for join development and partnership”
- Japan’s advice to focus on infrastructure rather than the gDP number of the country
The thing all of them has missed is health and environmental care they forget to give for their people


They were highly concentrated about security to their wealth and growing wealth but forget to think about their own health


This book is one of the great read I have read I in my life

[Shrike58 · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not a bad overview of the chronic concerns that have driven the government of the PRC, mostly relating to the sheer fragility of the edifice of state, this book also illustrates why I basically gave up reading works on current affairs years ago. In as much as I suspect that this work was basically finished around 2017, there are only whiffs that the ongoing genocide of the Uyghur people was about to be unleashed. As for the long-term future of the PRC, the author suspects that success will depend on overcoming the costs of past decisions; the wastage of wealth, the galloping environmental degradation, the demographic challenges, and, finally, how far a patriotic culture based on resentment can really secure the supremacy of the Party in Beijing. Khan is not seeing the sort of imagination that can overcome these obstacles.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful overview of what Khan has identified as the key themes in Chinese grand strategy, namely seeking closer ties with world powers (US and USSR) than those between the two, to be always open to diplomacy even during times of military confrontation, and to maintain balance of power in the Asian region to ensure the integrity and security of Chinese statehood. Khan also highlighted key issues that the CCP will not negotiate, that of territorial integrity, especially that of Taiwan.

The book itself focuses more on the early 20th century, giving more detail to the eras of Mao and Deng, while briefly touching on Jiang, Hu and Xi. It requires some background in modern Chinese history but nothing extensive. While the book is not ground-breaking in its ideas, it does go somewhat toward explaining the world and its status in it as seen from the point of view of the CCP.

[Clyde Macalister · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as history books can ever be value-free in analysis, this book comes pretty close. It approaches the subject of modern Chinese geopolitics in the spirit of dispassionate, disinterested yearning for the truth. Broadly stated in my own words, its thesis is that Maoist China's authoritarian origins, combined with its large size and the presence of many different countries, blocks, and alliances surrounding its borders and coastline, have shaped the extent of its present hostilities as well as the extent to which it has been willing to bend over backwards to reconcile differences with foreign nations -- in particular, Russia, both Koreas, Japan, the United States, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Singapore. A good introductory summary.

[NinaCD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was very pleased with my (coincidental) reading of this back to back with Red Star Over China. It was good to go into Khan on the heels of a refresher on CCP history. Highlight was the first ~100pp on Mao and the genesis of China's "grand strategy" and world view. Khan's analysis of the continuity between the CCP's view of the world and China's place in it and the current regime's strategy is very insightful.

[Gabriel Velasco · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the first time I read about grand strategies. I've been always intrigued by the unparalleled progress and growth of China and this has been a great intro to understand the rationale behind the behaviour of China's leaders. However, they go sometimes too deep into details, but great book to understand China.

It's quite impressive how loyal they are to grand strategy and their capacity to plan for one hundred years or more. Something missing in the West in my opinion.

[Joey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A seminal book that gave me some real insights into China´s geopolitical behavior since the Philippines has been in conflict with China over the sovereign rights in the South China Sea.
Khan contexually analyzed how and why China has been trying to protect its core interests from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping.
Having read some geopolitics books, I find most of his points objective, shrewd, and untenable except his points about environmental issues in China, which need further elaboration.

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 / 5.0

Somewhat disappointed. Treatment of topic leans away from being analytical.
Pretty flexible and sympathetic to standard PRC line. Does good job of narrating how each set of rulers managed to adapt to events while maintaining a semblance of consistent ideology and goals. Interesting comments on challenges ahead. somewhat outdated already given trade turmoil.

[Justus Bruns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through this book I got a better insight on the recent history of China and what makes China different from many other nations. Though the book is very objective I missed a bit a critical note. It’s a big eye opener that Europe has played such a little role in China’s recent history. There was only one paragraph about the European Union.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the whole, a good overview. Didn't say much that is new or profound, but if you want to get a glimpse into how Chinese policymakers do their foreign policy, this is a decent place to start. There is a tendency of many western commentators to view the political maneuvers of Mao and Deng too highly because of the lack (or ban) of criticism, and it is good that Sulmaan is calling them out here.

[ᛋᛏᛁᛁᚾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very accessible book on the five great Chinese statesmen: Mao, Jiang, Deng, Hu, and Xi. The Chinese seems to be obsessed about stability and a fear of disintegration and warlordism. Very interesting book

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could be a great textbook for modern China surveys.

[Jack Tarre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great primary source discussion and perspective. Would've personally appreciated some more discussion of the Chinese military's role/contribution/use.

[Rosie K.]

Compelling, well-written, and educational. Read for Fall 2020 history class (Post-Mao China: Change and Transformation).

[Supriyo Chaudhuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a whirlwind tour of the grand strategy of the modern Chinese leaders - from Mao to Xi - presenting a thesis how at the core of strategic thinking of all these Chinese leaders is a fear of disintegration and a desire to maintain an unified state. Indeed, it may sometimes seem that grand strategy is neither grand nor very strategic, but rather an opportunistic response to emergent conditions and small adjustments. Neighbours loom large, though two important ones - India and Japan - are mostly absent (which I thought is a drawback of this book). Ideology, particularly Marxism-leninism is dethroned by the obsession with the return to warring states fate. Overall, this is an interesting, if unorthodox, take on modern China and its strategy.