ABSTRACT
The challenge presented by a rising China is the principal issue facing American foreign policy. It is hardly inevitable that China will be a threat to American interests, but the United States (US) is much more likely to go to war with China than it is with any other major power. Views range from alarmist to complacent: from those who see China emerging as a hefty and dangerous superpower, to those who believe the country's prospects are vastly overrated. The truth is that China can pose a grave problem even if it does not become a military power on the American model, does not intend to commit aggression, integrates into a global economy, and liberalizes politically. For China to develop a military on the model of the US would be a tremendous stretch. The US is quite interested in gaining the goodies from globalization, yet on the world stage it sometimes throws its weight around with righteous abandon.
