A must-read for anyone interested in the geopolitical power struggle between China and the United States. Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd provides fascinating and possibly most accurate insights into Xi Jinping’s vision for China’s development through a framework titled “10 concentric rings of interest.”
 
Equally fascinating are the ten scenarios that could unfold during “the decade of living dangerously,” with five of these scenarios involving armed conflict, the magnitude of which few can truly comprehend.
 
Rudd makes a case for managed geostrategic competition in the last chapter. If we want to learn from history and try to get out of Thucydides’ Trap, policymakers need to look into this idea and try to put it into place.
 
Few commentators are promoting win-win solutions to what is unquestionably the greatest geostrategic competition of our lifetime. Only nationalist rhetoric, a reenactment of history, and a naive march into WWIII. Therefore, it’s refreshing to read such learned insights from an individual who arguably is more than qualified on the topic.
 
Without a doubt, my favourite book on this topic, if only because it offers a way forward.