Different cultures look at the world in different ways. Since world leaders think about issues of war, peace, and international order in different ways, understanding China’s long and fascinating history is critical to understanding global politics. The old Chinese dynasties inform the more modern history of Sino-American relations.
An interesting thing to understand about China is that its civilization has no known starting point. It’s almost as though it was always there, more a permanent phenomenon than a conventional state.
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has been to China more than 50 times, wrote a book on the country in an effort to clarify the way that Chinese leaders have thought about issues of war, peace, and international order, especially in relation to the democratic American approach. Check out On China in the Instaread app.
