World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the 21st Century.

by Dmitri Alperovitch and Garrett Graff

Backed by decades of experience in politics and state-on-state cyber warfare research, Alperovitch and Graff’s World on the Brink offers a strategic lens on the intensifying competition between the United States and China, making it a valuable read for 21^st century politicos. Opening with a hypothetical but sobering scenario where China has successfully invaded Taiwan, the book examines the birth and complex nature of this East-West rivalry, with a focus on military modernisation, technological supremacy, and the strategic balance of power in key regions like the Indo-Pacific.

The book highlights China's rise following its self-declared Century of Humiliation to its rapid advancements in areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber warfare, hypersonic weapons, and naval capabilities, framing these as direct challenges to the US military dominance of the past 80 years. The analysis emphasises the importance of maintaining a qualitative edge through innovation, despite the Chinese state-sponsored theft of intellectual property, robust defence spending, and strengthening alliances like NATO and AUKUS. The authors also stress the need for the US, and the West, to counter China's influence in grey-zone operations and hybrid warfare which are areas where Beijing has demonstrated significant proficiency.

While it provides a comprehensive overview, the book’s tone is occasionally quite alarmist. Nonetheless, it effectively outlines the strategic imperatives for the US, and the West, to adapt and respond to a rapidly evolving threat landscape. For a realistic insight into who could win the 21^st Century, this book has it all. It covers many factors that could push the balance further East or West, including some that are not routinely discussed in the media, such as the high turnover of leadership in western democracies, or the rapidly aging and combat-immature Chinese population. Considering how interconnected all conflicts tend to be, and how precarious the modern world can feel, this is a book well worth reading for anyone in the business of Defence.

WO2 (YofS) John Russell

Published by: PublicAffairs, 16 May 2024. 400 pages.

ISBN-13: 978-1541704091