Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preface p. 1 1 The Last Great Powers p. 1 2 Pride and Fall p. 39 3 Mao's Bequest p. 67 4 The Odd Couple-Communism and Capitalism p. 94 5 The State They're In p. 119 6 The Economic Impossibility of the Halfway House p. 144 7 The Democratic Graces p. 177 8 The Soft Infrastructure of Capitalism p. 200 9 Of War and Peace p. 225 10 It's the Enlightenment, Stupid p. 258 11 Born in the U.S.A. p. 292 Conclusion p. 327 Acknowledgments p. 367 Notes p. 371 Bibliography p. 400 Index p. 425.

While the 21st century may turn out to be the Chinese Century in the same way the 20th was the American Century, Hutton (former editor of the London Observer and economics editor of The Guardian) argues that doesn't portend the authoritarian future that many westerners fear. This is because the Enlightenment values and the public institutions they spawned form the core of the competitive advantage that allowed the rise of the United States and Britain before it. In other words, the Chinese Century can only happen if China adopts theses values and institutions. Therefore, the West, rather than fear China, should engage it in order to foster those value and institutions that will be good both for China and for the world in general. Further, the United States should put greater effort into embodying Enlightenment values in those areas in which it falls short.