Superpower Interrupted

Michael Schuman takes the reader on an invaluable journey deep into the hinterland of the Chinese psyche, tying Xi Jinping’s modern ambitions to the country’s centuries-old narratives. From the rise and fall of dynasties to painful interactions with neighboring barbarians and unsavory westerners, Schuman’s scholarship vividly describes China’s exceptionalism and how it underlines the ruling communist party’s objectives to this day. - Richard McGregor, author of The Party: The Secret World of China’s Communist Rulers and Xi Jinping: The Backlash

Schuman skillfully narrates more than three thousand years of history through a Chinese lens that places China at the center of the world and Chinese civilization above all others. Superpower Interrupted provides crucial insights into Xi Jinping’s Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation that seeks to restore China to its rightful place as world leader. Superpower Interrupted is essential reading for all those who want a deeper understanding of the historical roots of China’s national objectives. - Bonnie Glaser, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Superpower Interrupted is a concise and elegant survey of China as a dominant power in Eurasia. Michael Schuman provides an illuminating perspective on the Middle Kingdom’s rise, fall, and reemergence as a geopolitical superpower and the evolution of its ties with the rest of the world. Those wondering how a rejuvenated China will conduct itself in world affairs will do well to read Superpower Interrupted for its deep insights and rich historical knowledge - Minxin Pei, Claremont McKenna College, author of China’s Crony Capitalism

Timely, eloquent and lively throughout, Michael Schuman has written a book that covers China’s long past–and hints at its future - Peter Frankopan, Oxford University, author of The Silk Roads