History Books

Charm Offensive: How China’s Soft Power Is Transforming the World, a book from The New Republic, takes a look at how the Asian nation has recently gained regional and world power through its use of friendly relations:

This book is the first to examine the significance of China’s recent reliance on soft power—diplomacy, trade incentives, cultural and educational exchange opportunities, and other techniques—to project a benign national image, position itself as a model of social and economic success, and develop stronger international alliances. Drawing on years of experience tracking China’s policies in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa, Joshua Kurlantzick reveals how China has wooed the world with a “charm offensive” that has largely escaped the attention of American policy makers.

Readers looking for a similar book that focuses more on the risks of China’s growing influence might want to read China: Fragile Superpower: How China’s Internal Politics Could Derail Its Peaceful Rise.