China Goes Global Power Summary

When someone wants to judge the veracity of particular work of written scholarship, they must first consult reviews written by scholars working in a similar field. The exercise allows them to see how the work fits into existing scholarship, all the while providing an indirect critique of their own assumptions. It is also important to look into the author’s own credentials, as their claims should always be backed with an advanced education and a wealth of associated research. David Shambaugh’s book, China Goes Global: The Partial Power, makes several incredibly bold claims, claims that go against the grain of common assumptions about China’s growth as a global power. In order to assess the validity of these claims, one must first understand …show more content…
Currently, Stuenkel is an International Relations scholar working in Sao Palo for the Getúlio Vargas Foundation. His work has focused on macro issues in international relations, emergent powers and changing geopolitics. The regions that have formed the body of his research have been India, East Asia and South America. So far, his writings have been well received by critics, especially his works concerning Brazil and other Latin American nations. When he examined Shambaugh’s book, he believed that it was a well-researched and comprehensive overview of China’s coming role as a global power. However, he did not believe that the book went far enough to assess the potential impact of China’s economic growth. In a review he wrote for the “The Times Higher Education Supplement,” he stated that that the book did not attempt to look far enough into the future at China’s potential to develop soft power. He also argued that Shambaugh presented the United States as a static, unmoving entity, unlikely to change in the near future. As evidence, Stuenkel posited that the United States was an extremely different before and after 9/11. Such an event could easily occur in the future that drastically changes the overall course of international politics. That change could put China on top …show more content…
China Goes Global: The Partial Power is an easy to understand, entry point into a world of scholarship that has, up until this point, largely been out of the hands of the public. Though not without its flaws, Shambaugh’s book provides a perspective on China’s growth that is well-researched by one of the most prominent scholars currently working in the field. His book has been well-received by critics from a wide variety of separate fields, and the areas of research lacked by the book are hardly damning. For someone new to studying modern China, a student or an aspiring researcher, the book comes highly recommended. Nowhere else will you find a more valid or condensed analysis of China’s growth as a Global